What can you do to make the grass greener where you are?

On acceptance, commitment and investment.

This is your life, here and now. Is it enough for you?

We all have wants, needs, expectations and dreams. Sometimes things turn out better than expected. Sometimes things truly fall short of what we wanted for ourselves and life. For those lucky enough to get what they wanted — even hard earned dreams — many discover that great things also come with unexpected shit sandwiches you just have to learn to eat.

People worry about settling, of putting all their eggs in one basket as if it is a trap. And it can be. People like to keep their options open. Much of our online and consumerist culture is built around this — of always looking for the next new and hot thing. But never committing or investing is also a trap. Even in the best of circumstances we underwhelm and disappoint ourselves sometimes, people turn out to be more complex than we’d like, the world has sharp teeth and life has its own plans. It’s easy to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And neglect to water our own grass. How do you know when close enough is good enough?

It’s normal to have complicated motivations. It’s normal to accidentally be on the hedonic treadmill (I’d argue it’s more of a hedonic stair master) always wanting more. It’s normal to have a loud…