“Why are you never satisfied? We can’t be happy unless we’re satisfied.”
That was a piece of advice from a friend, who meant well.
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“Stretch a bit more Vaidy…Put your elbows down…You can do this..”
That was Shilpa, my Yoga teacher. We were practicing the hanumanasa (full split). My thighs were screaming in pain. I was struggling to breathe.
But Shilpa continued to nudge me and the others in the class to go just a bit further.
She reminds us that the reason we signed up for the classes was that we were dissatisfied with the status quo. We wanted to get better. And she is a catalyst in helping us move forward.
The result? Each of us in the class gets better. We’re stronger, more flexible, and more confident – because we’ve moved forward. We’ve grown.
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“Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” – Stephen Covey
We’re being constantly observed. By our own conscience.
That “voice in our head” sometimes asks us a tough question: “What are you doing with this life?”
We may not have a good answer to the question, and that’s okay. But it’s no use trying to avoid the question. Because that voice is super-persistent.
It’ll keep nagging you until you have a good answer.
That annoying voice is a gift though. Something that only human beings have. Might as well make the best use of it. No?
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“I’m getting better.”
In my experience, that’s a sufficiently good answer to satisfy the “voice”.
More specifically:
“I’m getting better at being kind to others”
“I’m getting better at creating things that are helpful for others”
“I’m getting better at controlling my impulses”
“I’m getting better in my physical health”
“I’m getting better in my relationships”
“I’m getting better in terms of wealth creation”
And so on.
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Being in a constant state of dissatisfaction. That is what drives us to relentlessly pursue continuous improvement.
So, in response to my well-meaning friend, I would say this: “My dissatisfaction is the fuel that propels me to jump out of bed every day. I could survive without it, but to live my life to the fullest, I can’t do without it. I’m a happily dissatisfied person. 😊”
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