Strivin' for Thrivin'

It may surprise you, but one of the worst things that could happen to you is to get everything you want, to have a perfect life, to be completed. It's the quest for “better” that gets and keeps us going, that inspires fantasy, ingenuity and ambition, that sparks our evolution. Without cause for motivation, we'd all wind up lazy, fat and discontent.

Change being the only constant - even if everything was absolutely perfect, it wouldn't stay that way. But let's fantasize for the moment that it could. If all the pieces came together and stayed arranged, just so, our minds would soon grow weary of the status quo. It's just the way we're wired. Can you think of any prize that you've ever gotten that you didn't tire of or lose excitement about sooner or later? I can't.

Imperfection and impermanence are our friends. It's a choice to fret and despair over the imperfection of present circumstances - and not a particularly helpful one. (Ideally, at that point, woe becomes the motivating imperfection, and steps are taken to make oneself feel better.)

Embrace the opportunity to overcome life's difficulties. Relish the challenge of recreating yourself, over and over. Thank those who create obstacles for you. When an accident happens or you shoot yourself in the foot, consider it as a lesson, digest it and move on. Greet the uncomfortable and unexpected as old friends who are here to help you learn and grow.

Living isn't easy, and we shouldn't want it to be. It's not a matter of staying on the sunny side of the street or dawning those rose colored glasses. Sure, we enjoy our experiences more when we maintain a positive attitude, but it quite simply makes us better, as people and as a species, to have to figure things out and do the work to make things happen.

Enjoy the struggle and strive to thrive.