High aims head into the pursuit of unhappiness

We live in an age of crazy busy-ness. There is a constant demand for our attention, money and time.

Every single day, we are confronted with a myriad of choices in regard to how to live our life. We are spoilt with choice, when it comes to clothing, groceries and basically everything else.

It looks like we have all the freedom in the world, when in fact what we are really looking for is actually a lot more complex. Isn’t it interesting, that most people would rather choose to have more time and less pressures and responsibilities, than working tirelessly every day to afford the things that we might not even need?

Way back in the days when human beings were occupied with much simpler endeavours like trying not to get killed by wild animals, or having to hunt for survival, the world was a lot more back and white than it is now.

Today, we don’t need to equip ourselves with armour, or a special kind of weapon, to go the supermarket. Everything is laid out for us and our exchanges for survival are cold coins, notes and credit cards.

Our survival is not dependent on our physical strengths anymore, it is focused on how we can make a name for ourselves and be the best we can be. In the modern world, it is all about living life to the fullest, aiming for the best expression of your individual self.

This comes with its own set of challenges and difficulties. The modern man/woman much like our predecessors still need vehicles for protection, as well as defence strategies in order to survive and regain a sense of stability.

Our enemy in the modern world is the constant onslaught of information and expectations, and as a consequence we get that never-ending feeling we just can not keep up with all these demands.

Navigating around all these pitfalls in our hectic lives can be quite challenging. Where are all the islands of peace and silence, where we could retreat to and just switch OFF? And what do we need to do, so we can establish more realistic expectations of what we can really achieve in our work and family life.

Are we all aiming far too high, when it comes to living a fulfilled life?

— Denise Reichenbach is a Counsellor and Community Educator at Relationships Australia Qld