Have you spent a few moments watching a butterfly flit up and down, back and forth, expending a lot of energy while not making much visible progress? This evasive movement pattern – bobbing and weaving like a punt returner trying to avoid tackles while running for the end zone – is a survival instinct to avoid being eaten.
Hopefully you’ve been lucky enough to glimpse a heron flying overhead with slow, steady wing beats, traveling directly to its ultimate destination. (Fun fact: herons feed in bodies of water but sleep in trees at night.) No energy is wasted in flight with their long necks tucked in and their long legs stretched out behind.
Do you flutter on the breezes of life hoping you will avoid disaster and find a nectar-filled flower to alight on? Or do you move with purpose, straight and true toward your end goal?
Both tendencies have served me well in life. I didn’t set out to be a customer marketing manager. I simply spread my wings letting the wind carry me, from one job to another, until I landed in a really good place. Conversely, when I commit to a goal, I launch myself into the sky, continually moving forward until it is achieved.
Lately I’ve been reflecting on my life, examining who I am and what makes me happy. I’m lucky – the list is already extensive. But it’s impossible to have too much happiness. That’s one bucket everyone should have overflowing. Set a goal to block time each week so you can do something that makes you happy – take a bath, read, talk to a friend, go for a walk, paint, sing, volunteer – the possibilities are endless and the achievement is priceless.
