I’m very much a goal setter
Which is generally a good thing. But sometimes being goal oriented can get in the way of enjoying life as it is.
For example; when I commenced my career in the mining sector, I pushed extremely hard to move up the ladder until I was in charge of my own department. And I achieved this goal of leading a department within 5 years of entering the industry. This was very quick progression. And I now recognise it as moving too quickly.
I didn’t spend enough time learning the ins and outs of the industry, I didn’t spend enough time on self development so that I was properly prepared to manage personnel, and I didn’t take the time to enjoy working in what is a very exciting and fulfilling industry while not being responsible for managing people.
Another example is quite a recent one: My wife and I bought a house here in Adelaide mid-last year. It’s a great house in an excellent location. And very well suited to our current lifestyle.
Shortly after buying this house, I commenced preparing for our next purchase. Which is insane given that I had just somehow managed to pay off more than $145,000 in debt in under 2 years. Any normal person would take a break and simply enjoy being in their new home for a while, and pay off the mortgage a little.
And this is the problem that I have. I constantly feel the need to work towards the next thing, whether that is the next promotion, the next home to live in and/or the next big investment target.
Sometimes I wish that I could simply feel satisfied with what I have achieved so far. But that seems unlikely. I certainly don’t have a solution for this issue, other than reminding myself repeatedly to slow down, and that pushing too hard can be detrimental to my career, health, and finances.
I suppose recognising that there is a problem is a starting point.