Life is like fishing, you cast your hook and hope to catch something and while you wait you can either get agitated that you aren’t catching anything; are you fishing in the right spot? Are you using the right bait? Is the worm even still on the hook?
Or you can use the time to enjoy the moment, to be present and aware of all that is around you. Optimistic of a big catch but not determining success or failure on the outcome.
I often find myself getting agitated that I’m not progressing fast enough. Am I attracting enough of the right clients? I am profitable enough? Am I running an efficient business?
I know what I want to achieve professionally and personally, but as I learnt from Jamie Smart in his book ‘Clarity’, it’s vital to get away from the “I’ll be happy when…” mantra.
“I’ll be happy when I’m earning £x”
or
“I’ll be happy when I’m mortgage free.”
or
“I’ll be happy when I’m retired.”
Because the problem with “I’ll be happy when…” is that the ‘when’ is always replaced by something else. You might never even get there.
Instead, I try (and often forget) to remind myself to be “happy because…”
That’s not to say that you can’t have aspirational goals. I believe it is important to have something of meaning to aim for but if that is attached to your happiness, particularly if it is related to how much money you have, you may find you are never happy.
The “I’ll be happy when” mantra is an elusive quarry to pursue; that big fish might be like hunting for Moby Dick.
Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash
