satisfaction

You can have virtually ANYTHING you want; you just can’t have EVERYTHING you want (and anyway, where would you put it?).

A MAJOR secret to satisfaction is clarity, clarity, clarity. Know WHAT you want, WHY you want it; have a PLAN to achieve it. Self-awareness, a deep understanding of yourself, your triggers, tendencies, hot spots, patterns and motivations is crucial. Many folks make up a visual “Treasure Chest” or “Dream Map” or “Abundance Board” to give focus to their goals. Once you have clarity around what you want, ask yourself WHY you want it. Nobody wants green pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents per se, they want what they can exchange it for: food, clothing, cars, houses, experiences, vacations etc. And we don’t just want nutrition or transportation or shelter: depending on our personal tastes and preferences, we want very specific kinds of food, model of car or style of house.

Pay attention (i.e. JOURNAL) about how you have reacted to the achievement of a greatly desired goal or the obtaining of something long sought. Was it all you hoped for? All you expected? Did the glow last as long as you though it would? Think back; mine prior occasions for insight. Nothing is ever exactly what we expect it to be but by clarifying in advance our often fuzzy expectations AND then paying attention to the outcome, we can become better predictors of what will make us happy and increase our life satisfaction. 

Having a deep understanding of what truly brings you contentment is key to a life of ever increasing satisfaction. Such knowledge is not gained without significant effort AND since both you and the world are constantly changing, maintaining self-awareness is a life long process.

 

Closing Quotes

“If you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions,, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” – Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence

“A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don’t know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox’s or bear’s, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there.” – Meister Eckhart, 1260-1328  

“He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.” – Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, author: “Tao Te Ching” aka “The Book of the Way”, 600 BC-531 BC

“The final mystery is oneself.” – Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900

 

As always, I share what I most want/need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier