Destination addiction: your preoccupation that happiness lies in the next place, the next job, the next partner, the next season… 🗺️
I’ll be happy when my To DO list is done.I’ll be happy when they hire some better employees for this place.I’ll be happy when my kids listen to what I ask the first time.I’ll be happy when I make enough money to buy XYZ.
Also known as the arrival fallacy, destination addiction is why – instead of feeling excited and grateful – you don’t intentionally take time to celebrate your win OR you get a sinking feeling when you accomplish a goal that you’ve worked so hard toward for such a long time. It’s when we reach our goal, and then just keep on going to the next thing, wondering what we were so excited about achieving in the first place.
When we are making progress toward a goal, our brain releases dopamine (the feel-good hormone), and once we accomplish the goal, the dopamine levels often drop, leaving us feeling underwhelmed. 🧠
How can you keep from experiencing apathy after achieving a goal? Setting realistic expectations, giving yourself time to recharge between goals, focusing on shifting your identity above achieving specific outcomes, and taking the time to celebrate achieving micro-goals on the way to your primary goal are all methods for avoiding the downfall associated with destination addiction. 🦋
Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are.🌞
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