The Most Important Yearly Achievement

image: greatbigscaryworld.com

It's the end of the year and most of us will find ourselves examining our lives and trying to see how many boxes in our goals' list we have ticked.

Nowadays, it's getting increasingly difficult to feel fulfilled. Years ago, it used to be that of only close friends and family that we compared our lives to. We were seldom aware of what is going on in many other people's lives. But now with Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram and BBM you find yourself comparing your life to that of way more people. You are now suddenly aware of what is happening in the lives of hundreds of people. And as it is with life, you will pay more attention to those whose lives are movie-perfect. They seem to have everything you want and more.

And it doesn't stop there. Based on what we see others achieve, we unintentionally expand our goals list. You wake up someday happy with the goals you've set yourself, then you log on to Facebook. You suddenly see someone already living a life that makes your goals look like crap. Result: You upgrade your goals. Now you have more complex goals. And next month the cycle repeats.

There are some of us who consider ourselves immune to what others are doing. The problem is that we are only partially right. Not envying someone else is just one side of the coin, the other side is being happy with your life. Yes, you don't feel pressurized to adjust your life to catch up with theirs. But also you are not smiling. Your life now feels more ordinary. Nothing special. No spark. You are more in resistance mode. You are not dissatisfied with your achievements, and also you are not impressed by them. You don't want more but you are no longer happy.

Why?
You now know too much. Too much about other people's lives.

What can you do?
Deliberately reduce reading up on others. Then focus more on the most important achievement: being happy.

It is not just enough that you are alive and have hope, you must also be happy. Be happy about who you are and the life you are living. Surround yourself more with positive motivation. Don't compare yourself to others. Find something consuming and fulfilling to do. The only metric you should evaluate yourself on is: "Am I happy?"

If the answer is yes, congratulations. If the answer is no, look for what to get rid off. Yes, get rid off. Happiness comes from within. If you are not happy it is because something within you is blocking it. Search for that thing and remove it.

For this year and the coming year, make it your most important goal to be happy.