The Ever-Moving Goalpost

Our battle with the constant pursuit of more

For most of my life I have battled the constant pursuit of more. Regardless what I’ve achieved, or what level of success I’ve had, I could never seem to reach any state of satisfaction. There was always more to achieve, or a new success to reach. It turned out contentment had become an ever-moving goalpost.

We live in a near constant state of discontentment. We always want more money, a bigger house, another house, more clothing, more toys, more clients, more followers, etc. No matter how much we achieve, more always exists. There is always another mountain to climb, or another box to check. The societal pressures keep you longing for more and more.

Here is a section from the book Essentialism By. Greg McKeown that I often look to for a proper perspective.

What if society stopped telling us to buy more stuff and instead allowed us to create more space to breathe and think? What if society encouraged us to reject what has been accurately describe as doing things we detest, to buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like?

What if we stopped being oversold the value of having more and being undersold the value of having less?

What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measurement of importance? What if instead we celebrated how much time we had spent listening, pondering, meditating, and enjoying time with the most important people in our lives?

What if the whole world shifted from the undisciplined pursuit of more to the disciplined pursuit of less…only better?

Just like the definition of wealth can be different from person to person, so can be the definition of success. My view of success will be different than yours. What truly matters is your view of success.

If one is wealthy in money, he’s envious of another’s time. If one is wealthy in time, he’s envious of another’s money. One is always envious of what another has.

We chase more money, more fame and more power. We look around and compare ourselves to our friends, neighbors, co-workers and even people we don’t know. The constant pursuit of more never slows down. Everything passes you by with your constant thirst for more. The finish line doesn’t exist. What is enough? When does happiness and contentment set in?

Chose to play your own game, then you can slow or stop your ever-moving goalpost and decide for yourself what success is, what is enough and what is wealth. It’s all about your perspective.

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