Are You Satisfied?
By vishwa on Uncategorized
October 15, 2014
This excerpt I quote from the book Live Life Aggressively—What Self-Help Gurus Should Be Telling You. The author, Mike Mahler, briefs about Viktor Frankl’s time in a Nazi camp from Viktor’s book Man’s Search For Meaning.
“Frankl chronicles his time in Nazi concentration camp, explaining how some people survived while others lost all hope. The people who survived sought out whatever form of happiness was available to them. If their meal was edible, they experienced great happiness; if someone told a funny joke, they enjoyed the pleasure of that moment as long as possible. Even the warmth of the sun gave them joy. They looked for—and discovered—opportunities for gratitude in the least likely scenarios. Even more impressive, the survivors sought out gratifications wherever possible.”
Alas! I find several of my gym members not being satisfied and happy. Perhaps, that is the nature of human mind. It cannot stay still. It craves for more. However, I believe we all need to take a step back and be happy for what we are. I will quote an example that usually occurs in the gym to substantiate my point of view. A person named A joins the gym, and he burns oodles of weight in a span of one year.
He is not satisfied and says to me that since he has lost all the fat it is time for him to either build humungous muscles or obtain a six pack. Whether you achieve that or not is a different question all together. Several factors are considered before we can recognize whether it is possible or not. Factors like genetic, the amount of fat he gains before losing, age, diet, etc.
Whatsoever the possibility he continues to dream. Instead, what if he slows down and stops for a while. He can clearly see what he has really achieved. He, in fact, has accomplished, which not many people can. I believe we should continue to dream, but, at the same time, we all need to slow down and witness the surroundings and be gracious for what, where, and how we are.
The craving for more never ends. Moreover, the constant yearning will never keep you satisfied. The answer I believe lies in slowing down now and then.