My wife and I have a cat that is perpetually seeking the perfect lap. She wants the person whose lap she occupies to have her undivided attention. Her goal is to rest on top of our arms so that we can’t do anything but pay attention to her. She has a disconnect between ambition and happiness.
The cat is rarely satisfied. She leaves our lap not because she is content, but because she has given up on having us submit to her desires.
A lot of us are like that. We want something that is just out of reach. We are convinced we won’t be happy until we achieve a goal. Our ambition drives us to discontentment if we aren’t careful.
I too have ambition and If I am not careful, I can allow it to put off happiness. I can be so focused on the future, I miss out on what good things are happening today. A quote by Dale Carnegie reminds me how foolish this can be.
“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don’t put off being happy until some future date.”
Dale Carnegie
We can get too busy to have fun. We try to hustle today to make things happen for tomorrow. But what if we are missing out on today’s blessings?
Don’t postpone happiness! We can pursue goals and have ambitions without sacrificing today’s well-being.
- Count our blessings and write them down
- Have a conversation with a loved one
- If today is frustrating, ask “What does today make possible?”
- Go for a walk and take in some nature
It is good to have ambitions. But don’t forget we have today to enjoy as well.
