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It's Okay to be Good and Not Great
The meaning of true success
True success means feeling content with the unfolding of your life. It's finding happiness in your work and life in the present time and being great all the time.
Interestingly, not always trying so hard to be great is the path to getting better.
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Finding success
One of the most popular self-improvement expressions is "good is the enemy of great." Although it sounds appealing, it might also be wrong.
We are told that we have to strive to be great to meet the ever-increasing pressures of today's world. But two-thirds of all employees report feeling burned out at work. It is probably not the kind of success everyone is after.
The meaning of true success
True success means feeling content with the unfolding of your life. It's finding happiness in your work and life in the present time and being great all the time.
Interestingly, not always trying so hard to be great is the path to getting better.
The right mindset
To make sustainable progress, you don't have to be consistently great; it's about being great at being consistent.
Accept Where You Are
We often convince ourselves that we're in a better place than we are, ignoring our problems, or distracting ourselves.
Progress requires confronting and accepting where you are. Only then you can take action and improve your condition.
Be Patient
Results don't come immediately, Consider diet. A 2018 study found the best predictor of weight loss was a constant adherence to the chosen diet.
The same is true for any persistent change. If you expect immediate results, you'll end up disappointed time and again.
Be Present
Multitasking may make you think you get twice as much done, but in reality, you only get about half as much done.
Our happiness suffers in the same way. We're more distracted than ever and may miss out on everything as a result.
Be Vulnerable
Just be yourself. The more you can be completely involved in all of you - the good, the bad, the sad, the better you'll feel and the better you'll be.
You don't have to live up to an online perception of yourself or the workplace self. Just being who you are will enable you to make more genuine connections with others and gain real support when you need it.
Foster an “In-Real-Life” Community
Digital relationships cannot replace the in-person community.
The increased focus on productivity and constant busyness have led to a decline in meaningful communities and a rise in social isolation and related mood disorders. Taking the extra effort to be with others in real life is worth it.
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Research suggests that happiness leads to success, not the other way around. It would benefit us to shift our focus from achieving future happiness to accessing that joy right now.
When we wrap our days around things we have to do we leave very little time for the things we want to do. Happiness requires balance.
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