Competition will kill you.
I’m writing this urgently because I’ve come to a realization.
Not much in life is guaranteed besides the fact that you’ll die, and the people around you will eventually die.
This makes every moment precious.
When people say, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” you know it’s true.
But it’s also true that when you compare a minor problem of your own to an existential problem that someone else has, it puts your problem into perspective.
Anyway. I digress. What I mean to say is the hedonic treadmill isn’t leading you anywhere.
What you have to do to break free is to really savor the moments you have, even when you’re upset.
It sounds close to impossible when you’re not in a good mood.
Let me explain:
Impermanence is the nature of things.
The negative feelings you experience will not last forever.
The positive feelings you experience will pass as well.
You need to focus on the present while also planning for the future.
To be honest, there’s no one way to plan for every instance.
And… what I’m learning is:
There’s no true reward in working and hustling for achievements, awards, promotions, fancy luxury items, etc. All you need is a basic standard of life for you to survive. Other things are extra. And thriving is another matter. You do need your basics before you can try to self-actualize. But that’s not going to come in the way of trophies and awards. Because even if you do manage to obtain those measures of success, you’ll only lead yourself down a path that doesn’t go anywhere.
At the end of the day, it’s our relationships with people that carry us through. Competing for attention against others, consuming more, and wanting better? That will kill your love of life. Achievement culture is so, so toxic.
Naturally, I’ve come to this conclusion after reading a wealth of literature confirming this very belief.
