Perseverance. But At What Cost!

Most of us are almost often in search of something in life. We call it the run-in search of elixir, or the forever urge to be successful and to become "somebody". However, have we ever been able to achieve what we run after? May be, yes but the real question is, do we feel satisfied after materialising our dreams? If yes, how long do you feel satisfied? May be a couple of days, a week or may be a month at the maximum. Achieving your dreams or being successful gives you a feeling of satisfaction, that you attach yourself to and very liberally enjoy the state of "having achieved something". However, your mind doesn't latch itself to this state for long. After a certain amount of time, it returns back to the state you were before reaching your goal, and once again the urge to run and succeed pops up. And once again begins the everlasting run. But have you ever wondered, why do we get stuck in this vicious circle? Would you believe if I said it was all written in the basic instinct of survival and has been passed down through thousands of generations through our genetic codes?

Yes, when humans were living as foragers and dwelled amidst strange and not-so-friendly neighbourhoods, there was a constant possibility of coming face-to-face with a threat that could be detrimental to their survival. Thus, there brains were designed to constantly be on the watch for impending dangers and possible threats. This led to the natural survival instincts that have kept us on alert and constantly seeking out for opportunities to climb up the ladder of existence. 

This can be seen analogous to Darwin's theory on the survival of the fittest. The times we live in today, are not as same as that our pre-historic ancestors faced. We don't fight against sabre toothed tigers and mammoths every single day! But our brains only kept evolving, and along with it evolved the desire to watch out for opportunities to explore new avenues. And we do have the urge to run behind every opportunity that we come across. But as mentioned earlier, does the toast of success last forever. Never! 

For instance, to a person who has been longing to buy an elite model bike, buying it will give him satisfaction. And in a month's time, his mind gets used to the reality and returns back to its original state similar to months before buying the bike. And then it desires for a car, and then so on. This is termed as Hedonic Adaptation. Our mind is a tricky entity. It is not designed to make us feel happy, rather to keep us on a constant alert for danger and threats. It depends on us to decide on the nature of emotion we are going to prioritize and give value. 

Among those who run all their life in search of fame, glory and power, many often fail to recognise the beauty of life itself. The real beauty of life is not in achieving or winning, but in living the life to our fullest. It is in doing what makes us happy, and not in doing that which makes others see you with pride and respect. In today's world, many of us live either to please our friends, relatives and bosses. Or we take efforts to make ourselves appear more efficient, talented and respectful. But why? How far does a third person's opinion define you? How long can you keep acting and conceal your true self from the outer world?

You cannot continue to live pleasing everyone around you. In fact, no person can please everyone! It is high time we realise that we stop chasing around and take sometime to enjoy the life that we are gifted with. By this I don't mean to demotivate you from succeeding in life. In fact, everyone has a dream and should work to achieve it. But you should always know that success is always temporary and so are failures. Besides achieving our goals, we should never forget to focus on our personal lives. Spend adequate time with our families and friends. 

Do things that make us happy. Make beautiful memories to cherish. Pause, relax and take time to love those around you. Watch your favourite movie, savour your favourite dish, listen to your favourite musician's works, read your favourite book, visit places you love to be. Relish the journey rather than thinking about the destination. Above all, Live!!!