The Most Dangerous Addiction

Hey family!

This week’s newsletter serves as a warning against the deadliest addiction. 

Because to be completely honest, if you live like this, you’ve died long before your funeral. 

I’m referring to an idea called destination addiction. It’s the belief that you’ll find happiness somewhere other than here in the present moment. 

Here’s what it can look like, and if any part of this looks familiar to you, then I urge you to keep reading: 
“When I have my ideal body, then I’ll be happy.”
“When I get that new job, then I’ll be happy.”
“When I get in a relationship, then I’ll be happy.”
“When I finish school, then I’ll be happy.”

What makes this type of thinking dangerous isn’t because it’s dramatic or extreme. Destination addiction is most dangerous because it is subtle and consistent.

It gradually brings your attention away from things that require your attention and deserve your appreciation here in the present moment. It’s ironic that this constant pursuit of happiness outside of the present is what ultimately traps people in states of unhappiness and discontent. 

Listen closely: in telling yourself that if you had this or that then you’d be happy, you are in the same breath reinforcing beliefs that right now isn’t good enough. 

Placing all of your hope and happiness in things to come does nothing but make you absolutely powerless now. 

Yet plenty of us unknowingly live our lives this way. We convince ourselves that our happiness is stored in some external circumstance down the road. We consistently remind ourselves that it is not with us in the present. 

But let me be clear, if you cannot find happiness here in the present, you will not find it anywhere else else. 

Breaking habits, especially ways of thinking, can be incredibly difficult. But, it’s not impossible. If throughout this read you’ve recognized bits of yourself in these examples, there’s a way to break free from a cycle of discontentment. 

Gratitude.

Accept the fact that right now, this present moment, is all we will ever be afforded. Any joy or happiness is here, right now. 

This upcoming week, show a new appreciation for life as is. Make it your dominant intent to find and do things that feel good everyday. 

Here is the quote for this week: 

“The flower does not dream of the bee. It blossoms and the bee comes.”
-unknown 

Reflection question: How can you continue to invest in yourself here in the present moment?