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Do you feel like you’re constantly chasing a dream, a resolution, a goal that keeps slipping away? Here’s why “almost there” is actually the best place to be.
We humans think we’re wired for attainment, when actually we’re most driven by anticipation. In several studies, cognitive researchers have proven definitively dopamine levels in our brains spike not when we reach reward, but as we approach it.
We are most focused, energized, and alive when we are in pursuit, working towards, nearly there. As you approach the prize, your brain and body are flooded with feel-good compounds and hormones. Neurotransmitters are firing on full!
Then we arrive. Accomplish the goal. Get where or what we’ve envisioned, and immediately realize: Attainment is a let down.
This isn’t what I expected. I still don’t feel satisfied. My old issues and problems aren’t gone. And now I have new ones.
Because everything you own or build requires something of you: attention, upkeep, ongoing expense. Unless we get to the next level … And so it repeats.
So how do we stay in this mode of almost arriving without feeling frustrated or behind?
1. Choose your chase. Understanding there is no finish, as meaningful subjects and quests are ever expanding, choose the pursuit that most thrills you! What will you find stimulating and valuable all along the learning curve?
2. Slow your pace. How do you pursue what’s inexhaustible without being constantly exhausted? Don’t rush. Be present and deliberate. And rest to incorporate what you’ve experienced.
3. Build your base. Don’t skip foundational lessons. Learn them. Address underlying issues because they’re not going away and it’ll never be easier than now.
And finally, as you anticipate, appreciate that for each of us, being almost there is a unique, ever-changing experience. Until next week, stay Off Balance On Purpose.
The audio for this week’s coaching video is located under the “Get Inspired” tab in the Positive Playlist . You can subscribe to the podcast and listen to other weekly messages for improving all aspects of your life.