Are You Waiting Until Tomorrow To Be Happy?
I only ask because I caught myself in this trap. Maybe you've been there too. Have you ever looked down the road and thought, when I have/experience/am something then I’ll be happy? Well this was me this morning, so let me share a couple details that will set up this story. Fair game?
I think cars are awesome and I've thought it for a long time. Back in 4th grade my buddy Ryan and I had a grand plan to get matching red Jeep Wranglers when we were older. We could picture it vividly and talked about it in great detail. Our Jeeps would have no doors on them, and we could drive them on the beach or into the woods where we would go camping. When I was in 6th grade my buddy Jeremy and I watched The Italian Job and all we could imagine was having awesome Mini Coopers.
Then came my first car, a two door Jeep Cherokee Sport, and this thing was awesome - thanks Grampy. It had a 4L V6 rear wheel drive, and the back end was super light which made it possible when it had just rained and the roads were a little slick to whip the tail out a bit on a corner. After college I had a Subaru WRX wagon which had nice pop, and the best part was it was stick shift which made it all the more exciting.
So why are we talking so much about the cool cars and boyhood aspirations of driving fast and having sweet cars...because I drive a Kia Soul. Now don’t get me wrong Hank is rad - well at least as rad as a Kia Soul can be. You see I got him in green - technically Alien 2 which is an electric green, which I saw as the best option for making it cooler. So what's the downside, so far it's a sweet electric green hatchback that's great on gas? To borrow a phrase from my buddy Jeremy, it can't drive it's way out of a paper bag. Ouch, I know, the ego takes a hit.
Let me tell you something else, I’m very into nature and our role as stewards of this planet. I am also a natural rebel and can’t help but cheer for a guy like Elon Musk. The man started three companies each worth billions of dollars and in the process disrupted three monolithic industries! He took on and beat the aerospace and defense industry with Space X. Musk challenged the fossil fuel industry, and the automotive industry simultaneously with Tesla and Solar City. Oh and before this he was a founder in PayPal and before that he designed a video game when he was only a kid. Oh and if that wasn’t enough the Tesla S can go 0-60 faster than a Ferrari! So you might be able to guess that I think Tesla's fucking rock!
So back to my Kia Soul...I’m driving to campus to lift weights. (what a privilege to have a decked out weight room to work toward my goals in) Yet here I am driving and telling myself a story - a story about how sweet it will be to tear down the road in my Tesla X P100D all black. And before I go any further I believe visualization is a transformational practice and super important to our growth, yet as with all things timing is everything.
So here I am driving a car with air condition - a beautiful thing for Georgia in July. I’ve got my speakers turned up and am jamming out to tropical house music (ps I recommend you toss that into Spotify). Not to mention simply having the privilege to attend college for the third time, in a country where I am free and safe to build the life of my dreams! But what am I thinking about? About how sweet it will be when I finally have my Tesla. How much gratitude did I have for the bounty surrounding me in that very moment? Not nearly as much as I could and should have.
A beautiful thing happened as I was driving - I interrupted my frame of reference - I realized what I was doing. I was waiting until some future outcome to be happy. I was telling myself when I have that cool car...then I’ll feel great, then I’ll have fun. WHAT ABOUT NOW MATT?
Ask a better question and get a better answer. Instead of taking what I have as a given I realized the profound privilege to even have a vehicle at all! In that moment I gave myself the right to be happy! I allowed myself - because we are all ultimately the only author of our personal rules for peace and success - to enjoy all the opportunity and blessing surrounding me. I was liberated to have peace and joy in the now!
The final thought that I have is about the future. I still want my Tesla and boy it will be exhilarating when I'm cruising down the road in my Tesla X. But I do not have to miss out on the joy in the present even if I have a beautiful future to create. A frame of reference that has really helped me to have greater enjoyment in the moment and to shift the rules for satisfaction from a product oriented view to a process oriented view is: instead of having to achieve to be happy, why not happily achieve?
So what are your goals? Do your rules for success and satisfaction hold you back in the now? Let me know what you think!
I think cars are awesome and I've thought it for a long time. Back in 4th grade my buddy Ryan and I had a grand plan to get matching red Jeep Wranglers when we were older. We could picture it vividly and talked about it in great detail. Our Jeeps would have no doors on them, and we could drive them on the beach or into the woods where we would go camping. When I was in 6th grade my buddy Jeremy and I watched The Italian Job and all we could imagine was having awesome Mini Coopers.
Then came my first car, a two door Jeep Cherokee Sport, and this thing was awesome - thanks Grampy. It had a 4L V6 rear wheel drive, and the back end was super light which made it possible when it had just rained and the roads were a little slick to whip the tail out a bit on a corner. After college I had a Subaru WRX wagon which had nice pop, and the best part was it was stick shift which made it all the more exciting.
So why are we talking so much about the cool cars and boyhood aspirations of driving fast and having sweet cars...because I drive a Kia Soul. Now don’t get me wrong Hank is rad - well at least as rad as a Kia Soul can be. You see I got him in green - technically Alien 2 which is an electric green, which I saw as the best option for making it cooler. So what's the downside, so far it's a sweet electric green hatchback that's great on gas? To borrow a phrase from my buddy Jeremy, it can't drive it's way out of a paper bag. Ouch, I know, the ego takes a hit.
Let me tell you something else, I’m very into nature and our role as stewards of this planet. I am also a natural rebel and can’t help but cheer for a guy like Elon Musk. The man started three companies each worth billions of dollars and in the process disrupted three monolithic industries! He took on and beat the aerospace and defense industry with Space X. Musk challenged the fossil fuel industry, and the automotive industry simultaneously with Tesla and Solar City. Oh and before this he was a founder in PayPal and before that he designed a video game when he was only a kid. Oh and if that wasn’t enough the Tesla S can go 0-60 faster than a Ferrari! So you might be able to guess that I think Tesla's fucking rock!
So back to my Kia Soul...I’m driving to campus to lift weights. (what a privilege to have a decked out weight room to work toward my goals in) Yet here I am driving and telling myself a story - a story about how sweet it will be to tear down the road in my Tesla X P100D all black. And before I go any further I believe visualization is a transformational practice and super important to our growth, yet as with all things timing is everything.
So here I am driving a car with air condition - a beautiful thing for Georgia in July. I’ve got my speakers turned up and am jamming out to tropical house music (ps I recommend you toss that into Spotify). Not to mention simply having the privilege to attend college for the third time, in a country where I am free and safe to build the life of my dreams! But what am I thinking about? About how sweet it will be when I finally have my Tesla. How much gratitude did I have for the bounty surrounding me in that very moment? Not nearly as much as I could and should have.
A beautiful thing happened as I was driving - I interrupted my frame of reference - I realized what I was doing. I was waiting until some future outcome to be happy. I was telling myself when I have that cool car...then I’ll feel great, then I’ll have fun. WHAT ABOUT NOW MATT?
Ask a better question and get a better answer. Instead of taking what I have as a given I realized the profound privilege to even have a vehicle at all! In that moment I gave myself the right to be happy! I allowed myself - because we are all ultimately the only author of our personal rules for peace and success - to enjoy all the opportunity and blessing surrounding me. I was liberated to have peace and joy in the now!
The final thought that I have is about the future. I still want my Tesla and boy it will be exhilarating when I'm cruising down the road in my Tesla X. But I do not have to miss out on the joy in the present even if I have a beautiful future to create. A frame of reference that has really helped me to have greater enjoyment in the moment and to shift the rules for satisfaction from a product oriented view to a process oriented view is: instead of having to achieve to be happy, why not happily achieve?
So what are your goals? Do your rules for success and satisfaction hold you back in the now? Let me know what you think!
The grass isn't always greener on the other side. You should totally be process oriented and happily achieve. Every bit of our life is never finished, but a work in progress. Keep inspiring!
ReplyDelete@liv4peace I am so glad to resonate with you. Keep on journeying!
ReplyDelete