Why satisfaction is more important to achieve than happiness
In yesterday's post, I wrote about how I was happy about where I am in my career, but not at all satisfied.
I wrote about this a few years ago, and it keeps coming back to my mind, so I wanted to revisit it.
There is a huge difference between the two, and I think satisfaction is more important to achieve than happiness.
In most situations, satisfaction is easier to attain than happiness.
If you watched a decent movie, you might be satisfied with the way you spent your Friday evening. But if you watched a great flick, you would be really happy about the $10 you just spent.
If you had dinner at Burger King, you'd be satisfied with your full stomach. If you had a prix-fixe meal with the wine pairing at a top restaurant, you'd be really happy with your full stomach.
Most people strive for happiness in life. This is certainly a wonderful goal to reach for and attain.
But I think satisfaction is more difficult and more important to achieve. And a lot of it comes down to competitiveness and ambition.
If you're a runner, you might be happy with the time it took you to finish that 10K. But if you're competitive, you're likely not satisfied and know that you can run faster.
If you're a movie director, you might be happy with that last scene. But there might be a part of you that knows it could have gone better, so you're not satisfied until you get it perfect.
Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm very happy with my career. I'm working with a great team and doing what I want in the industry of my choice.
But am I satisfied? Hell no.
I want to develop a product that impacts millions of lives in a positive way and build a lasting company that generates revenue and creates jobs.
I'm also very happy with my personal life. I have a wonderful family and live in a great condo in an awesome neighborhood of Washington DC.
But am I satisfied? Hell no.
I want to get better as a husband and dad and raise my daughter to be a beautiful, successful woman. I want to travel and see more of the world. I want to continue to grow and cultivate my personal relationships.
I've achieved happiness for a long time. But satisfaction has been eluded me so far.
I'll get there someday.
This is day 17 of my experiment to blog for 30 consecutive days.