The Grass Is Always Greener

Today is a special issue of Sticky Notes.

My computer started slowing down because of all the video footage I’ve downloaded while working on my YouTube Channel. While scrubbing and exporting to an external hard drive I came across this random folder saved on my iCloud called “blogs” and this was one of two entries in there. I wrote this in 2017, but it felt equally poignant today. Enjoy.

I’m a man of seasons. I get into bits of running, then weightlifting, then boot camp, heck even yoga and on and on it goes. I start reading more, but specifically non-fiction, then I’m tired of drudging through those so I commit to reading more fiction, then more biographies, then leadership development books and on and on it goes. I eat hearty breakfasts, then just bulletproof coffee, then just oatmeal, then fast and on and on it goes.

When you’re committed to constantly experimenting and making yourself better like I feel I am, seasons are constantly changing and that’s because of these weird pressures I put on myself.

I’m currently working through a goal of listening to 100 TED talks this year. I’m in a pretty good pattern right now of watching one a day, but the problem is I’ve also committed to reading 18 books this year so you know what happens during those 20 minutes I spend watching a TED talk and trying to accomplish one goal? I start to think to myself, “Oh man, if I have enough free time to watch this TED talk, I should probably be reading.” Guess what happens when I start to read? “Should this be the book I’m reading? Should I commit the next two weeks to reading this popular novel when I could be reading a book that will help me further my career?”

This stress is what I believe leads us to give up on goals altogether. We convince ourselves that there’s something better we can be doing than WHATEVER it is we’re currently doing, even if that current act is guaranteed to have a positive outcome on our life.

You know why that grass is always greener? It’s because we let it be for a while and it’s been given the time to grow while we consume the field we’re currently in. Live into these seasons and appreciate the time you spend in each one. Be present and commit to the goals you’ve set and understand the picture of your life that will be painted with each new seasonal brushstroke.