Happy Free Thoughts Thursday, people.

"Beware of destination addiction: The idea that happiness is the next place, the next job, or the next partner. Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it'll never be where you are."

—Robert Holden

1 Thought From Me:

I've written in the past about the importance of keeping a balanced time perspective.

The idea is that we weigh the importance of the past, present and future equally without getting hung up on any one in particular.

I recently came across a similar idea from Dr. Benjamin Hardy called The Gap and The Gain which, rather than time, focuses specifically on our accomplishments and our aspirations.

The Gap refers to the space between where we are now and where we want to be in the future.

The Gain refers to the space between where we are now and where we started in the beginning.

We spend a lot of time focusing on the The Gap and thinking about everything we've yet to accomplish.

We compare ourselves to some ideal—whether that's a perfect version of ourselves or someone else we think is "better" than us in some way.

There is an obvious benefit to focusing on The Gap: it motivates us to make progress towards our goals.

But there's also a significant drawback: it blinds us to all of the progress we've made.

It's possible (and arguably necessary) to remain motivated to reach our goals while also recognizing that we've come a long way from where we started.

That's why Dr. Hardy argues we should spend more time focusing on The Gain and thinking about everything we've achieved since our journey began.

If we never acknowledge The Gain then our target will always be out of reach because The Gap will never close.

No matter how much we accomplish there will always be another ideal to compare ourselves to.

And what's the point of constantly striving to move forward if we never get to enjoy where we are?

“Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.”―Rabbi Hyman Schachtel

There's room for both The Gap and The Gain, but just like our time perspective it's essential to weigh the importance of both without getting hung up on either.

Whether or not comparison really is the thief of joy depends entirely on what we're comparing ourselves against.

A theoretical version of ourself living in the future?

Or a concrete version of ourself living in the past?

Ideally, it's a little bit of both.

Live your life to the fullest,

Chris

P.S. Find this interesting it? Please share it with others!

Watch my videos on YouTube