Want To Be Happy In Life? Seek Control, Not Motivation!
Happiness comes from our control to dictate our Will, and Time.
We are born with free will and the need to express ourselves in our own unique ways. We are unhappy because our free will is suppressed, and our time is taken away.
You might be thinking that this is blown out of proportion. But really, it isn’t. It happens daily, and throughout our waking hours.
When we are brought to school, we are taught discipline, and the need to follow the time-table. Of course it can be a good thing. We have to learn what a schedule is. Am I right?
Yet, that process is like a double-sided coin. When we are taught to follow, and grades are used to support uniformity. Individual expression is suppressed. This is a zero-game sum. Give something to get something.
Please do not be mistaken. I do not see this as a systematic plot or a scam at the international level. We happen to prioritize one thing over the other.
However, we need to ask ourselves if we were happy during our school days. In truth, no one asks what our interests are. Am I right? The syllabus is told to all of us, and we inherit the modules to study.
We have no control over the modules we study, and the time in school. I think many children and teenagers are annoyed by that.
Having the motivation to study and get great results is not helping either. Many students who excelled in school, are at the same level as their delinquent peers. They do not know what they want in life. So, they drift.
We often engage in power struggles with those in power. They were our parents and teachers when we were younger, and we fight our bosses when we get into the workplace.
Many managers view motivation as the holy grail. If only I could get my team motivated to work harder is a thought bubble that lingers in their minds, on and, on.
I know what my boss is thinking. I think the same at times.
Yet, the real issue is never addressed. We have never left school. We never had control over our time and tasks.
The initiatives and projects that we proposed in our 360-performance review get deprioritized when our boss’s demands become a priority. There is a reason for Key Performance Indicators.
It is known as goal alignment, specifically the alignment of our time, and attention to our bosses’ goals and ambitions.
We can be pacified by money. After all, our salaries pay our bills, and will dominate our course of action and behavior.
Maybe.
And there are that select few who choose to stray from the mainstream. The courageous few.
These are the people who believe that enough is enough. They want to regain control of their life. Who can blame them for working 18 hours to bring their start-up to success?
How many can truly appreciate the freedom we have when we freelance, or do our best to fend for ourselves writing in Medium?
Having the conferment of a Top Writer in Medium is prestigious and can mean nothing. We fight for our meaning. In this process, the pain becomes a joy.
Yes, we are happy working 18 hours a day. When I get back control of my time, schedule, and the freedom to excel in the professional fields of my choice — I fly.
I think that is the one key to happiness in life.
That is when we recognize that we can be our own boss.
Forget motivation. Embrace control.
Be A Control Freak!
Aldric
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About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.
Because simplicity adds value.
And with clarity — We grow.
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