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Abstract

m_content=creditCopyText">Jack Finnigan</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/london?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h1 id="df07">The Wrong Mindset</h1><p id="7cf3">The truth is that achieving that big goal of yours will only make you temporarily happy. You will get to the destination and enjoy yourself for a while. When the luster fades, you will inevitably crave something more, better, or simply something different.</p><p id="535b">A few years after my decision, I was finally able to move to London. For a while, I felt ecstatic. I was a Londoner. I got accepted to my dream university, and I was living the life of my dreams. But this feeling didn’t last too long.</p><p id="d283">When the happiness wore off, I found myself wanting more. Yes, I was living in London, but my dream of being a writer was still unfulfilled. I wanted more money, so I could afford an apartment of my own instead of living in a sharehouse.</p><p id="abb0">Suddenly, the rainy British weather was making me miserable, and I found myself eyeing different locations.</p><p id="d931"><i>“What about Paris?”</i> I thought.</p><p id="8405">Instead of enjoying my life in London, I spent my evenings scrolling through Pinterest looking at photos of Montmartre.</p><p id="613d">Everything I didn’t have overshadowed the things I did have. It wasn’t until

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I moved to Prague, instead of Paris, that realised I had been living my dream life and never appreciated it, and that the mindset of “when I achieve X, I’m going to be happy” is inherently wrong.</p><figure id="6773"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*HWeQ1qS_rZMqNsh_H3dbBg.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@larisabirta?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Larisa Birta</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/mountain?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h1 id="9b34">The Lesson</h1><p id="84e4">Appreciate where you are now. Make the most of your life and savour every second. You never know when the things you have now will be taken away from you.</p><p id="7be1">Don’t just focus on the destination. Focus on the journey. After all, the journey is the destination. I see that eye roll! Yes, you’ve heard that already. But look, life is not just a bunch of goals or a set of checkboxes on your bucket list. To fully enjoy the destination, you need to live in the moment.</p><p id="54ac">Think of your life as a climb on the top of a mountain. Would you rush straight to the peak? Of course not! You would take breaks, look at how far you’ve come, and also enjoy the views every now and then. Treat your life the same way.</p></article></body>

Life is More Than Just Goals

When I was sixteen or seventeen, I randomly decided I wanted to move to the UK. From that point on, living in Britain became my biggest dream. I daydreamed about strolling the streets of London, writing at small coffee shops all over the city, and calling myself a Londoner.

I was depressed back then, and moving to a different country seemed like the perfect solution. I thought, “Okay, my life sucks right now, but I’m going to be happy when I move to London.”

We live in a goal-oriented future-focused world. Don’t get me wrong, having dreams and ambitions is critical. But living in the moment and finding happiness in the now is as important.

The Wrong Mindset

The truth is that achieving that big goal of yours will only make you temporarily happy. You will get to the destination and enjoy yourself for a while. When the luster fades, you will inevitably crave something more, better, or simply something different.

A few years after my decision, I was finally able to move to London. For a while, I felt ecstatic. I was a Londoner. I got accepted to my dream university, and I was living the life of my dreams. But this feeling didn’t last too long.

When the happiness wore off, I found myself wanting more. Yes, I was living in London, but my dream of being a writer was still unfulfilled. I wanted more money, so I could afford an apartment of my own instead of living in a sharehouse.

Suddenly, the rainy British weather was making me miserable, and I found myself eyeing different locations.

“What about Paris?” I thought.

Instead of enjoying my life in London, I spent my evenings scrolling through Pinterest looking at photos of Montmartre.

Everything I didn’t have overshadowed the things I did have. It wasn’t until I moved to Prague, instead of Paris, that realised I had been living my dream life and never appreciated it, and that the mindset of “when I achieve X, I’m going to be happy” is inherently wrong.

The Lesson

Appreciate where you are now. Make the most of your life and savour every second. You never know when the things you have now will be taken away from you.

Don’t just focus on the destination. Focus on the journey. After all, the journey is the destination. I see that eye roll! Yes, you’ve heard that already. But look, life is not just a bunch of goals or a set of checkboxes on your bucket list. To fully enjoy the destination, you need to live in the moment.

Think of your life as a climb on the top of a mountain. Would you rush straight to the peak? Of course not! You would take breaks, look at how far you’ve come, and also enjoy the views every now and then. Treat your life the same way.