The Constant State of Next
"Beware of destination addiction: The preoccupation that happiness is in the next place, the next job, or even the next partner. Until you give up on the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are". -Robert Holden
I believe there must be a healthy balance between the now and the next. How do you strike that balance? I tend to want to be highly productive - always looking towards the next thing. It is okay to just sit in the place you’re at! To bask in your accomplishment ..if even for a moment before moving on to the next project. The way that I try to balance the two is by deciding how much time I want to give to each per week. Some weeks its equal, other weeks one gets more attention that the other. Just depends on what is going on and what appears to be most pressing.
Enjoying the now can be:
Doing the best you can in your current job/career.
Enjoying a family dinner.
Having a great time with friends at a concert or another fun event.
And yearning for the next can be:
Taking a career betterment course.
Developing a new hobby.
Or preparing yourself for something you have been working towards for a long time.
Society is constantly shouting at us, “NEXT!”. In high school, everyone wants to know where you’re going to college. In college, they want to know where you’re going to start your career, and after college, they want to know when you’re getting married.
Like.., can a girl breathe!
When I was little I used to say, “life is lived in the mundane”. So naturally this girl would dress up like a maid to clean the house because - if it must be done - we must make it fun! As we go about our lives and our careers - we fall into a pattern. This state of being truly adds to the mundane. It’s up to you and me to keep life interesting. A part of doing so - is enjoying the present. This really does get harder as more and more responsibilities pile on adulthood. The constant state of “next” is a very bad thing. Why wait until the sunset of our lives to enjoy the here and now?
"Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life." - Eckhart Tolle
Sweater: H&M (now on sale!). Glasses: Sunglass Spot (smoke frame).
