You and I have something in common. We’re made to find meaning. We can’t live without it. That’s why we see so many people on a constant search for happiness.
So then why do so few of us feel true happiness?
I have a hunch. And it reminds me of the gold rush.
Do you remember reading those sensational stories? People from across the country flocked to the West in hopes of finding gold.
And some of them actually did find gold. They sifted the sand, carefully shaking out rocks and pebbles, until they spotted a shiny golden nugget.
What a beautiful sight it must have been! And what an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction it must have felt like!
I imagine they tossed down their sifter, looking triumphantly at their find. They understood its value – and they couldn’t wait to cash it in.
Now imagine if they had not recognized the value of the golden nugget. What if they had tossed aside the nugget and returned to the sand and gravel, hoping to find value there instead?
Sounds pretty ridiculous, right? If that had happened, we would’ve never heard of the gold rush because it wouldn’t have been a story worth telling.
But here’s the thing: Some of us do this in our own personal and professional lives every day.
We often set aside the people and things that bring us the most meaning and value. And we set aside our own personal development.
Instead, we return again and again to the “pebbles.” We search for meaning in the unimportant parts of our lives.
Take a moment right now to look down at the sifter in your hands. Shake away your sand.
Now take a good look at your golden nuggets. Recognize the people and things that bring you value.
What you do next matters.
You can set your gold aside and keep digging for meaning in the pebbles. (But I’ll tell you now: This won’t be the story worth telling.)
Or you can do something differently.
You can choose to do more than just survive. You can engage. You can join a movement that focuses on your growth.
Today, throw down your sifter and hold up your gold in triumph. Cash it in. Because when you do, you’ll discover abundant energy, true joy, and deep meaning. You’ll discover happiness.
Your Curve-to-Success.
AIM: Make a list of your core values.
FOCUS: Decide what values have meaning and why.
GROW: Pick one value and its meaning. Grow it to reap its rewards.
Curve to Success LLC is about staying curious, exploring your possibilities, and seeing the life you crave come into focus. It’s about putting our personal lives and our organizations, back together and on track simultaneously. It’s not a quick fix, it’s a wild and outrageous invitation allowing for some crazy, unchartered, and sometimes unexpected outcomes with delightful insights yet frustrating predicaments – raising the lid, growing personally and professionally and through the process our organizations allowing ourselves to be put back together through being the best version of ourselves and the organizations we are a part of.
Vicki Tomlinson shares more than 30 years of experience in growing people, and the organizations they are a part of.