Discontent with Life? Don't Just Ask Why.

I've oftentimes wondered, why is it so hard to be content with where I'm at in life? Is it because I'm not doing what I really want to do, or is it something deeper? Ever since I was young, I've felt this obsessive-compulsive need to always be achieving or accomplishing something. As I've gotten older, that belief has saturated my mind even more. A lack of feeling a sense of accomplishment can literally lay me out, to the point where I'm on my back on my bed, clenching my teeth with my eyes closed. Clearly this is not a restful state; it's a tense and exhaustive one. It's something that I don't wish on my worst enemy.

When you're feeling this way, it's always best to remove the overflow of emotional angst and get to the heart of the matter. "Why do I feel this way?" And if you really want to get to the root cause, ask yourself Why five times... the result will probably surprise you. The Why method is commonly used for diagnosing basically any issue, and it was Simon Sinek who took it a step further and discovered how your why equates to your purpose. 

So is feeling discontent a sign that you're not living out your purpose? Perhaps partially. But I think the driving - almost relentless - force behind it has to do with how easy it is now to compare ourselves to others. Look no further than social networks to create feelings of jealousy, where what you did today wasn't as cool as what your friend did. And what you ate today was not something from a 5-star restaurant. It was carrot sticks pulled from your lunchbox. In other words, "social comparison" has affected and will continue to affect those of us who are surrounded by news feeds featuring babies, vacations, promotions... the list goes on and on.

Many people think that a break from social media every now and then is the answer to ridding yourself of the need to compare. But no matter if you're online or offline, that does not make you any less exempt from it. You need to force yourself to live among it and participate with the mindset that this too shall pass. Suffice it to say, social media projects a temporary reality, not a forever state of bliss - contrary to irrational, popular belief. And while we certainly don't wish for people to experience an unhappy reality, just knowing we're all in this tangled web of content together makes us feel less alone, less afraid, and less worried about what we have and have not achieved in life. We can then let out a big sigh of relief and go do something worth caring about, or as Simon Sinek would call it, pursuing our Why.

Thanks for reading,

Tim