We’re wired to pursue more. After all, that’s what allowed our ancestors to survive long enough to continue the family line. Pursuing more wasn’t a problem when finding food, shelter, or a suitable mate was difficult. That said, we no longer live in a world of scarcity, but one of abundance. The problem is that while our circumstances have changed, our psychology hasn’t. Most people believe that they’ll eventually reach a moment where they’ll have enough possessions that they’ll be completely satisfied, but they won’t. The path to happiness can’t be found in a rose-tinted past or imaginary future but in the here and now.
Once we cover our basic needs, material success can’t do that much for our happiness. We all contemplate an imaginary future full of indulgences and we think we’ll be happy when that happens. The problem is that we don’t allow ourselves to enjoy the present moment because we’re focusing on an illusory future. Even if we achieve the things we want, we tend to forget how easy moving the goalpost further is. The ultimate example is money because when we think of money, we think of numbers and numbers are infinite. The trap a lot of people fall into is that they upgrade their lives faster than they upgrade their income which leads to a life of constant disatisfaction.
The answer isn’t to reduce our spending to zero and become monks. The answer is to focus on the present moment more often because there’s usually something in the here and now that’s worth experiencing. As simple as it sounds, this is one of the most difficult things in life. After all, have you tried closing your eyes and thinking of nothing for a few moments? I often think about past experiences and I think fondly of certain moments. Ironically, that takes me away from the present which means I don’t enjoy either past or present.
The only way to achieve happiness is by remembering that you have enough and doing something that puts you in a state of flow and tranquility as often as possible. Even if you get everything you want, the euphoria will last a few days and that will become your new reality. Our nature drives us to adapt to new circumstances and pursue new things. That’s not a bug in our psychology, that’s the feature that allowed humans to survive millions of years.
Maybe you will get everything you want. In a way, I think we all deserve it. If that happened, we’d realize it wouldn’t make us happy and then, we could start pursuing something more meaningful instead. Whether we want to accept it or not, we have a limited time here. Let’s make it count by focusing on what matters. There’s always something you can do right here, right now that makes a difference. That’s the path to happiness. Material success isn’t the answer. After all, no one wants to be the richest guy in the cemetery.
You can subscribe to my newsletter on Substack here.