HAPPY VS. UNHAPPY

If being happy is our end goal, I can only assume that you are currently unhappy. While the standards for a quality life have been rising, so has depression and anxiety. Why is that?

Mark Manson, author of “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,” discusses why loneliness is the driving factor for our current-day problem of consumption. 

Let me rephrase: We’ve worked hard to create advances in technology and medicine to allow our lives to be the most comfortable they’ve been in history, filled with efficiency and more conveniences. We have the luxury to Netflix and Chill … or to have our dinner and groceries delivered to our door with a click of a button. We can work from home. We even have self-driving cars! 

The hope that technological conveniences will give us more time to enjoy life, thus more happiness, has been spoon fed to us. In fact, this hope is a false display of what it means to achieve happiness.

SEEKING TRUE HAPPINESS

As a society, we’ve recently started to turn away from convenience and have started to move towards hardship. This is the driving force behind the tiny house movement, intentional living communities, and self-sustainable farming practices and the rise in hunting. It also is why so many of us are attracted to sports like Spartan Races, Ironman & Ultra racing and CrossFit.

Our lives are filled with so much convenience that we have to actively seek out challenges to pursue our purpose.

IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION

We all know what it feels like to be working towards a goal and seeing progress. It’s motivating, it’s exciting, and that progress is what gives us a sense of purpose and drive. This is the feeling of happiness that we’re chasing in the destination of our goals, when in actuality happiness is in the journey itself.

Ask any hunter: it’s the chase that is thrilling. When we have goals to chase, and something challenging us, we feel inspired and motivated. When that goal is achieved, we often seek new goals to chase. 

But what about those people who aren’t seeking challenges? As a gym owner and pain management specialist, I see people wanting to create change in their lives: like healing an injury, losing weight, or getting fitter. However, I see few people willing to go through sacrifice and discomfort in order to reach those goals. 

MAKE A DECISION

If you can relate to resisting change or finding it impossible to break bad habits, you must ask yourself, “Do I really want this?” Once you DECIDE fully that want something, there is nothing that will get in your way. That’s called determination, and we’ve all felt it.

Once you’ve DECIDED you want something, only then are you ready to create change. You have to be willing to go just outside your comfort zone. You have to do NEW things. You have to create NEW habits. 

I get it… New is scary. Doing new things is uncomfortable and sometimes hard to navigate. But it’s also EXCITING! There is risk involved with doing things that have an UNCERTAIN OUTCOME. 

THE SOLUTION

That’s why having support is critical to your success. When you have other people supporting you, the change you’re trying to create becomes more possible. The sacrifices you make seems easier to stick with. The obstacles you’ll face don’t seem so overwhelming when you have support.

This is why fitness coaching has become popular. That’s why we offer online fitness coaching. It helps hold you accountable, it makes it fun. 

Ready to achieve great things? Get started with an EDX Coach today!