I was thinking the other day about what drives us as humans to continue achieving everything we strive for. Not so much how, but why do we work so hard for some things, and not at all for others?
In my own life, I thought about the past achievements I have recorded. And I asked myself why did I do this or that thing? Not so much how, but why…
Between everything I have accomplished in life I found no real clear connection. I’ve done a lot of things in my life so far, and most seem unrelated.
How are going to graduate school and running a marathon related? How about moving far away from home, or getting good at high school sports?
The answer isn’t so clear….
What I do know and have figured out is that all accomplishment is pleasurable The act of doing something is pleasurable. Maybe simply because you choose to do it and achieve your purpose…
You have fulfilled yourself and your desire… You set your sight on a goal and you reached it… The prize was before you and you won it…
How can that not be pleasurable?
The mind is a powerful thing. Do not waste it or underestimate it. When the brain feels pleasure it wants to keep the pleasure coming. Achieving your goals brings pleasure, and so your brain will continue to achieve the results you want.
I gain a lot of pleasure out of having a nice emergency fund. I simply put it on auto-pilot by having my accountant at work directly deposit 10% of my check into my savings account. My goal was to never have to worry about a financial emergency. If my car blows up or my house needs some major repair the money is there. I can fix it tomorrow, and not have to put it on a credit card or wait till next month to do anything about it.
This goal not only required me to give my accountant a call. It also required me to trim my spending by 10% every month. If you make saving money into a game it becomes pleasurable, and that is exactly what I did. I didn’t focus on the displeasure of not spending 10% of my income. I focused on the pleasure of actually having money for emergencies when I need it.
Focus on the pleasure of tangible results and you can truly have anything you want in this life…