There is an epidemic today
of everybody feeling the need to live amazing lives, make amazing money, and live and share incredible experiences online. The problem with the pressure to also do MORE and become incredible is that it will make you unhappy. The hedonic treadmill is a real problem.
No matter where you are in life, it never ends. It only ends when you die. There will always be struggles, stress, and issues that pop up. So how do we achieve the supposed paradox of being ok with being average while also pursuing a big and lofty goal?
It all starts with acceptance!
If you go skydiving you will simply "go with the flow". You accept the forces acting upon you and enjoy the ride. You are doing something incredible, of course, but you are also being in the moment and accepting whatever may come!
The truth is, each individuals life is a small flickering flame of consciousness in an otherwise vast ocean of nothingness. You didn't exist before you were born forever, and you also won't exist for far longer than you will ever have existed. It's really a "one and done" deal! This can mess with peoples heads in a way that will make them try to savor and suck everything out of life. As it should.
The problem starts when everybody thinks they need to be incredible like everybody else. It's not true however! We are bombarded nowadays with the incredible lives of thousands of others, always being made to feel inadequate. No other time in human history has been like this. With the internet and social media it can only get worse if we let it. A true epidemic.
Never ending growth is a cancer. That's what never ending progress is. To combat the hedonic treadmill just realize that life is average for most people. Most people wake up, do the same things, do normal activities, eat, and sleep. There's not a whole group of people just totally killing it and leaving you behind. Ok maybe!
And it doesn't matter! Everybody adapts to their circumstances and their happiness levels stay largely the same.
Be ok with being average.
Plan for the worst.
But hope for the best.
And step off the hedonic treadmill.
You man,
Andrew