Nobody looks back and wishes they'd lived a more boring life

I spend a lot of my free time reading books or web material, listening to recordings, or watching Ted Talks and videos about the shifting nature of our world. There is so much science-based, thoughtful information out there about how happiness, work, business and fulfillment are all constructed a bit differently than we have been lead to believe.

• Happiness comes before the acquisition of stuff (Shawn Achor)
  
• Job satisfaction comes from creativity, and connection (Seth Godin)
  
• Employment now is different than it was 30 years ago – showing up on time and doing a good job doesn’t guarantee that your job will always be there for you (Seth Godin)
  
• Fulfillment is borne of engagement and meaning (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Martin Seligman)

We all want all of this, right? But we also want security, the avoidance of discomfort and the unknown, and to not look foolish. How do we get from where things feel safe and familiar but lacking to happy and fulfilled?

It’s all about accepting the fact that personal growth feels kind of yucky. But in knowing that it’s supposed to feel un-good helps it feel better. Sort of like when I realized that my crazed state of late had plenty to do with hormonal swings and not actual insanity. Just knowing it was a menopause thing made it that much better. The hot flashes are still unpleasant, but I know they won’t kill me.

Likewise, for those of us who have gotten a celiac disease diagnosis, we have what I affectionately call “The Year of Freaking Out.” We think that the huge dietary shift to gluten-free will end life as we know it. We hate it at first. Then we adapt. We find our new normal. Some of us go so far as to embrace it and turn it into our Day Job. (Okay, that was me.) With the right mindset, we can turn crisis into opportunity.

When I first started blogging, I was painfully self-conscious about it. The benefits outweighed the discomfort, so I kept at it. It got comfortable. I kept at it and made it a real “thing.” So now, What’s next?

New things come along that demand we leave our comfort zone. Sometimes these things will come out of left field. Sometimes they are largely of our own making. Frequently, others can see them coming at us when we are oblivious. Doesn't matter. They come nevertheless. And it's natural to resist. Overcoming the resistance and finding the gift is the key.

For me, I know that sometimes I’m the one to decide that I need to be the change I need to see in my world. My happiness is worth it. It’s really not about getting there after all. It’s about the journey. Seth Godin thinks so too.