It Can’t Always Be About Winning

It seems that as a society, we’re all in a bubble of continuously chasing some sort of high. We’re hardwired to want to win SOMETHING.

Winning by appearances, winning because of the money in your bank account, because of the amount of followers you have .. and so on and so forth. We spend so much of our living time chasing money, chasing relationships, chasing “the ideal,” hoping that we come out on top of it all.

I realize that many of us end up doing something to reach a specific end goal in mind; not to simply enjoy it for the sake of. It’s too easy to get caught up in the rat race of working more – earning more money – buying things – earning accolades. Always in a never ending pursuit to ACHIEVE.

I’ve recently thought that this hamster wheel to achievement must have been put in place due to a fear of lack. At a point, we experienced a lack of something in our lives, and then perhaps reacted through the need to WIN, to ACHIEVE, to be THE BEST. Enjoyment was out of the question.

Do something you simply enjoy that doesn’t require winning.

Where does all of this chasing lead us? To burn out. To a potentially unhappy life. Everything, indeed must be done in moderation.

I’ve found that developing hobbies can truly help the mind escape and relax for a bit. Honestly, not everything has to be done to achieve a monetary or status-building goal. What do you do that lights you up from the inside? For me, it’s birdwatching. I simply enjoy observing the birds and being in nature. I don’t feel I need to win anything. I also enjoy birdwatching because it makes for a great solo activity. It’s a time I get to spend all by myself, how I see fit — without checking to see if anyone else is hungry or needs to take a break. Isn’t that lovely?

What do you do that allows you to get lost in time? That stimulates you?
Something that you do just for you, and not as a means to make a profit off of (though you could – but that’s not your intention).
Maybe it’s baking… reading … writing … gardening …
Make sure you give yourself the time to do the things you love!

All images captured by me in NYC (c) dycephotography

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