Do we all want what we don’t have?
Lately, I have been confronted by story after story of disenchantment.
- “Oh, this guy I am dating is really great… but… he’s not quite as tall as I’d like.”
- “This job is cool, but I really want to do this other thing so its miserable, really.”
- “I like my home but I really want to live in another city so, its not that great.”
The list goes on and on…
Greener Grass Syndrome is what I call this horrible situation that defies all logic: why can’t we all value what we have, even if it isn’t the ultimate thing we hope for in life?
I personally have let great relationships go because I felt that the grass was greener. In actuality I was too young and naive to know how to work on these relationships and take to the responsibility to improve them. How I reasoned with things at the time: ” There is something better in the out there for me, and I’m not going to settle.” While I don’t sit in regret, I do acknowledge that the grass was not greener on the other side of those awesome relationships.
Should we go through like letting things go because they are not a perfect fairy tale? Nope. There is nothing that is perfect, and I’ve noticed that the more you turn your back on good things the less of them you might find in their wake. Let’s put it this way: if you become focused on all that is wrong about something, you will see more and more that is wrong. That’s pretty basic.
Moreover, if you never commit to what you have- even if its temporary in nature- and devote yourself to the task at hand, you will always be living life without a feeling like the ground is moving under your feet. You miss out on feeling grounded when you are always dissatisfied. You miss out on the greatness of life today when you are constantly looking to what is bigger, brighter, hotter, cooler and next on the horizon.
While you might not have the perfect relationship, job, hobbies, affiliations, family… YOU are the person who can change them. While certain things might not work out in the end to be a workable situation, if you know you did all your could in a situation, rather than running in search of greener grass, you might find that things finally feel green right where you are, right now.
Do you find yourself in Greener Grass Syndrome? How do you deal with the impulse to constantly shop for greener grass???
xoxo Dana
I know it’s bizarre to find wisdom in a Justin Bieber song, but I guess wisdom is everywhere, you just have to be open to receiving it? IDK, but there’s a line about greener grass in the song “As Long As You Love Me”: “the grass ain’t always greener on the other side/It’s green where you water it”.
And isn’t that true? If you put in the time to care for your “grass”, it’ll be greener and healthier.