We all want to have it all. We all want to be everything at once. For example, when Peter Baelish on Game of Thrones was asked what he wants, he replied, “Oh my darling, I want everything.”
For most of us, it is all but a dream to have that expensive car, to buy a beach house, to buy Gucci and Prada bags, and to only wear designer clothes. We all want these things. But what is the cost of having it all?
The other day, I read an article about how this man had missed his daughter’s birthday several times in the pursuit of “having it all.” He works hard every day and focuses on his career. The most important thing for him is to succeed in his career. He had earned almost $10 million per year at the expense of his daughter’s birthdays and school performances and all the places he should have been instead.
This concept is passed down through generations. We are told to sacrifice the love of our lives in search of that career milestone. We don’t visit our parents as often as we should because we really want that promotion. And on top of it all, we sacrifice our newborn for our careers and jobs.
Sounds familiar?
Needless to say, most of us have made such choices. And it is safe to say that at a point in our lives we all thought to ourselves, “I wish I could have it all.”
This is the typical work-life balance we are all hoping to achieve. We want more time with friends and family but we are too busy with work. We don’t have enough time to do both. Or we are so busy focusing on our family that we don’t have time to think about our goals. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps on giving.
The complaint always remains: I have all these things I want to do, but I don’t have enough time or resources to do it. We beat ourselves up for not having enough and how it would make us happy if we did, in fact, “have it all.”
So what if you do get all you want? Will it truly make you happy and satisfied with your life? Imagine this: You got the house you wanted. You bought that Audi SUV you’ve always wanted. You married the man of your dreams. You’ve got fame and money. Does it really serve your purpose?
What we fail to remember is that there are so many people who have it all but they are depressed because of extreme fame or money. Some of them don’t even know what they can do with all their cash so they spend it on gambling.
As humans, we are always inclined to want more. Even when we have all the essentials – sustenance, shelter, clothes on our backs and loved ones – we still want more. We become depressed and negative just because one of our friends went on a vacation to this really cool place and we can’t afford it because of our limited savings and means.
However, what if the fault lies in the question? What if you don’t have to want it all? What if the answer lies in not wanting to do more? And what if the answer is to want less?
The simple solution is to recognize our lives’ limitations and to prioritize what we truly care about accordingly. The solution lies in telling ourselves that this is how I choose to live and to value it more than anything else.
It is as simple as stating the fact that there will be millions of things that you are going to miss out on. But what you choose to value will always stay.
Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
