Comments on: Do You Suffer from Destination Addiction?

By: Justin P

Justin P — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:18:51 +0000

To Ron@ and DavidK….You guys hit the nail on the head. I too was thinking this as I read the article. Anyone who is ‘content’ or ‘satisfied’ has no internal drive to better him or herself. Notice I did not say ‘happy.’ You can be happy at any point during your life with the right attitude and outlook. But water that doesn’t flow becomes stagnant. A rock that’s not rolling gathers moss. Muscles that aren’t being used become weak, and this includes your brain. There is nothing wrong with motivation for more. It’s in our DNA, to be cliche. (actually, I’m not really sure if that’s WHERE it is, but it’s in us somewhere.) Don’t ever be completely satisfied with your position in life. Always look to better yourself. Death should be the only thing that stops it.

I know what the article was trying to say. It just did NOT say it plainly. Your overall happiness should not be based on gathering ‘things.’ Not to say you can’t be happy when you aquire something. But do not live without goals. It’s like a blind man driving a car. You’ll just be wandering aimlessly. When you reach a goal, set another. Take satisfaction in your accomplishments, then strive for more. Doesn’t have to be material things, just don’t become mossy and stagnant.

By: 4 Steps To Staging A Financial Intervention

4 Steps To Staging A Financial Intervention — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:02:44 +0000

[...] son/friend/brother/cousin spends way more than he earns. He’s constantly on the edge. You’ve had to bail him out more times than you can [...]

By: JUngle

JUngle — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:03:57 +0000

Want to know how to live a life of contentment?

Live like an animal.

Seriously. It’s the human consciousness that leads to neurosis which leads us all down some dark path of insanity (read a newspaper lately?).

Animals NEVER worry about trying to be something they are not. They live 100% as their true beings.
Animals NEVER worry about what they have or don’t have.
They just keep going and never waste energy or resources.

As the saying goes, “If you want any answer, look to Nature.”

Live like an animal, not like a savage, and you will be content.

By: Rob O.

Rob O. — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:40:48 +0000

Excellent post!

Once you’ve arrived at that “destination,” you’ve been chasing, there’s something quite like postpartum depression that can befall you. Regardless of how wonderful the “destination,” the real thing can rarely match the ideal that you’ve crafted in your mind. Or the real experience is so fleeting that you’re left feeling aimless afterwards.

Crazy as it sounds, I’ve felt this in the months since my wife & I completed our protracted international adoption process. I had a very, very hard time with the wait to go get him, but at the same time, I ever so slightly miss the chase now that we have him and we’re all settled into domestic routines. We were so intensely goal-driven during the more than 2 years we worked towards the adoption that now that it’s done, there’s a subtle “what next?” feeling. I dearly love my new son and he’s keeping me plenty busy, but it’s just a much different, much less focused kind of busy…

By: Debt Free Living, Cheap Family Meals, Used Kids' Clothes

Debt Free Living, Cheap Family Meals, Used Kids' Clothes — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:28:18 +0000

[...] Frugal Dad: Do You Suffer From Destination Addiction? [...]

By: JEANNE

JEANNE — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:21:14 +0000

Great post!

I saw that Oprah episode too, and the concept of “destination addiction” really rang true. Not just about spending and buying more “stuff” but just about life in general.

It reminded me to look around and see what I already have, and be thankful, because in the past this would have been a “destination” that I was aiming for. Here I am – be happy, already!! lol

By: JB

JB — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:20:11 +0000

Yes, I constantly catch myself looking toward the future. It’s very hard to be in the here and now. However, I do believe that you do need stuff to look forward to… you don’t want your life to become stale. It’s a balancing act.

By: Eyebee

Eyebee — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:18:54 +0000

Destination addiction is like being on a train.

When I get to be a teenager; when I get to be 21; when I’ve paid my student loan;when I get my own house; when I get married; when I have kids; when I get a raise; when I get promoted; when I get the boss’s job; when the kids leave home; when I retire; when…. too late.

By: marci

marci — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:37:24 +0000

I agree with the contentment and gratitude remarks above.

Gratitude, not resentment. Appreciation not want.
Works for me!

By: Travis

Travis — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:55:40 +0000

I’ve heard happiness is about our circumstances, but joy comes from within. I’d like to think I’m a really joyful person. Sure I’d be happier I guess if I was debt free, but I’m always joyful and appreciate my many blessings.