The Grass Isn't Greener

At various points in my career I idolized the next job I wanted, I become slightly obsessed with achieving the next job title. I got caught up in the hype.

When I worked at a customer service representative, I wanted to be the department manager. When I wanted to break into data and analytics, I already wanted to be a data scientist. When I actually had an analytics job, I felt that I needed to work on advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms to find fulfillment.

My desires were mostly futile. I never truly achieved the things I wholeheartedly believed would make me happy. It wasn't until I adopted the idea of the linchpin that I realized fulfillment and contentment existed exactly where I was.

Instead of looking outwardly, consider how much you can learn from your current situation. You will find that there are numerous paths of improvement in your current job, career, team, or environment. The key is to immerse yourself in the circumstances you currently inhabit and build a deeper relationship with it.

"With the people in your circle, you can always connect on a deeper level...The place where you live has a deep history that you can immerse yourself in...In trying to know yourself better, you can take charge of your own nature instead of being a slave to it." (Greene, 148-49)

Your current reality can nourish you with knowledge, improvement, and insight. A new world doesn't provide much more than mental novelty.

The grass isn't greener on the other side, it's green where you water it.

References

Greene, Robert. 2019. The Laws of Human Nature. Penguin USA.

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