The Life You Wish You Had
The life you wish you had can poison the life you have.
I have seen fantasies hobble leaders. The team you wish you had condemns the team you have. Your current paycheck mocks you. Your title insults you.
Envy is self-sabotage. You pull back. Or worse, resentment takes root.
The Past You Wish You Had
You didn’t get the job. Someone less worthy was promoted. Unmet expectations pollute life.
Someone hurt you. Is it sucking joy out of you?
Resentment pokes your eyes out. You lose perspective. Revenge distracts from responsibility.
What would you do today if you knew you’d never get promoted?
The Present You Wish You Had
I choose to live a simple life. My Toyota Tacoma is 14 years old. I’ll keep it until it dies by the side of the road. The other day I drove past a shiny new Tacoma. Riding alone, I felt embarrassed. The joy of simplicity vanished.
I lost myself to someone’s opinion. My need to impress strangers killed joy.
The Future You Wish You Had
When aspiration births resentment your future shrinks.
Bitterness waits for an apology.
The Cure for Toxic Aspiration
#1. Turn Judgment into Development
Coach the team you have.
The life you wish you had is a blueprint for growth.
#2. Practice Gratitude
Gratitude answers toxic aspiration.
List three strengths for every team member.
What’s working now?
Gratitude enjoys the present. Aspiration builds the future.
#3. Pull Weeds
Gardeners enjoy the garden while pulling weeds. Protect what you have.
Healthy aspiration requires vision, responsibility, and effort.
Enjoy what you have. Build what could be.
How is the life you wish you had polluting joy?
The Art of Restless Contentment
Why You Should Value Dissatisfaction and How to Use it to Your Advantage
Speaking for a friend, he really needed to read this today.
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Love this. Thank you for reminding us how resentment/wishes negatively impact us, AND how to pull ourselves out of that mire. Much needed reminder.
“Perfect is the enemy of good.”
This is probably one of my absolute favorite articles from you….and I enjoy all your articles! Thank you for the simple reminder to appreciate what we have and grow with it!
Thanks, Dan. Great article. I keep a quote on my board in my office “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I try to remind myself of this and remind my kids as well. Thanks for all you do and congrats on your 14-year-old Tacoma!
I can’t tell you how I needed this today. Right at this minute.
Excellent article. For years, I have read your thought-provoking articles, but I wonder how tough and time-consuming it is to put them into practice.