The Satisfaction Mystery
Feeling a sense of satisfaction in life is one of the pillars of happiness. But it’s also the most evanescent, slipping from our grasp almost as soon as we fulfill a wish or expectation.
The problem is two part. On one hand our primal programming has us always wanting more to ensure survival. And on the other hand, we’re often wrong about what will bring us satisfaction, imagining it to be the attainment of big goals & experiences.
Long time ‘satisfaction researcher’ Dr Arthur Brooks has found that a key to lasting satisfaction is ‘getting smaller’ by which he means paying attention to smaller things.
’Each day my to-do list includes being truly present for an ordinary occurrence.’ Dr Brooks
Small satisfactions engage our senses because this is how we experience the present. Watching a flower open, listening to the ocean, a walk with the sun warming your back. There’s intense, unlimited & enduring satisfaction to be found in these sensory moments. What small satisfaction could you experience today?
“Pay attention to smaller & smaller things.”