Life is not a destination

If you were to look at the lives of executives in the United States, here’s what you’d find:

• Their household income is greater than 95% of families in the U.S., which easily places them in the top 1% globally.?
• They live in large homes, drive nice cars, and take great vacations.?
• From a material standpoint, they lack almost nothing and rarely put off a purchase simply because it’s expensive.?

Most of these professionals followed the same strategy to achieve success:?

1. Set an ambitious goal.
2. Work extremely hard.
3. Reach the objective.
4. Quickly move on to the next milestone.?

From the outside looking in, life seems perfect. However, as you know by now, life doesn’t always feel as perfect as it looks.?

You’re probably wondering if all the money, recognition and stuff is worth all the hard work if you never seem to enjoy the journey. Worse, you probably assume that you’re the only person feeling this way because everybody else seems to be so happy.?

I promise - you’re not alone.?

In one of the largest studies on burnout in history, employees in the United States were reported as some of the most stressed out workers in the world (Gallup, 2022 ).?

The majority of people who appear to be completely satisfied with their lives feel the same worries and doubts that you do, but like you, they all assume the best path forward is to do what they have been doing and maintain the illusion that life is perfect.?

Knowing what to do and actually doing it are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

You’ve been doing it your way for a long time and no matter how compelling you find my articles, it’s unlikely that becoming exposed to the truth will lead to a massive change in your behavior.?

Understanding what to do is fairly easy; doing it is typically really, really hard.?

To help get you started, here are 4 simple, proven strategies I’ve seen help professionals shift their perspective and embrace the journey they’re on.?

1. Get comfortable in your own skin

Write down 3-5 things that you are not good at. Own them. This challenges the belief that you have to be good at everything.?

2. Live in the moment

In Stumbling on Happiness , author Daniel Gilbert points out that the majority of our stress and anxiety are caused by mentally going into the past and/or anticipating the future.?

When you catch yourself drifting into the past or the future, recognize it, label that it’s happening, and then focus on something in that moment.

• What’s the farthest sound that you can hear?
• What’s the closest sound?
• What’s the temperature of the air as you breathe in?
• As you breathe out?

Focus your mind only on what is now.

3. Live gratefully

Gratitude is the single greatest practice you can start to change how you view your life. Today, be generous enough to send three (handwritten) thank you notes to people in your life. Really take the time to think about what they did for you, or said to you, that made an impact.?

4. Give generously

No matter how much money or accolades you acquire, it will never deliver the satisfaction you actually crave. Further, giving a minimal amount of time or money to a cause you don’t know much about won’t move the needle for you - or for them.?

Before committing any resources (time and/or money) to a charitable organization, identify the problem you are most passionate about helping to solve. As Patrick Lencioni pointed out, “If everything is important, then nothing is. ”?

Need help identifying a cause? Check out Generosity First , a process I developed to help my clients give in such a way that delivers the peace and satisfaction we all crave.?

There is no such thing as 4 Steps to Peace.

I’ve given you 4 proven strategies to kickstart a paradigm shift. However, the truth is that no matter how hard you work, how many workshops you attend, or how many books you read, you will never wake up one day and discover that life is perfect and from that moment forward, every second will be filled with complete bliss and happiness.

Remember that life is a journey, and it’s one that doesn’t end until you do.?

Once you embrace that truth, all that’s left is to decide the best way to enjoy the journey you’re on.?

-CJ?