“We’ve pushed happiness over the cognitive horizon”

What happens when we get what we want? What do we want when we’ve already got what we wanted? I’ve found that the hardest things about finding a job you like is keeping the one you have. Once you’re in a position where you’ve had some success, the next opportunities start to surface.

What’s complicated is know when to invest in a position and when to jump to the next challenge. This TED talk from Shawn Achor is not only hilarious, but digs into the psychology of this challenge. We’re not necessarily calibrated to see success for what it is. It can be a struggle to align your goals with what you have — especially when those goals keep shifting and growing with you.

“Every time your brain has a success, you just changed the goalpost of what success looked like. You got good grades, now you have to get better grades, you got into a good school and after you get into a better one, you got a good job, now you have to get a better job, you hit your sales target, we’re going to change it. And if happiness is on the opposite side of success, your brain never gets there. We’ve pushed happiness over the cognitive horizon, as a society. And that’s because we think we have to be successful, then we’ll be happier.”

The key isn’t to accept what you have without challenge, but rather to recognize moments of success and ensure that you take time to celebrate, recognize and consider your achievements. Don’t let your success keep you from being happy. All-told, it’s a good problem to have.