Appreciating the process is hands down one of the most important steps toward loving the life that we live. I’ve been raised on the idea that satisfaction equals defeat, that there is always something better out there to strive for. My dad has constantly pushed me to be the very best Ashlee May that I can possibly be, and for that, I am forever grateful. But something I did not learn until very recently is the discernment between appreciation and satisfaction.
Let’s talk definitions.
Appreciation: the recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.
Satisfaction: fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations, or needs.
While I never, ever want to be satisfied with where I am in life, I do want to learn to appreciate the process and growth I go through to continually become a better person. In our imperfect pursuit of whatever we’re living this life for, we forget to recognize the difference between the two. If you’re anything like me, satisfaction with yourself, your circumstances, your talents, etc, is the very last thing you want to achieve. There is always room to improve in whatever you may be doing. But, we get so caught up in the journey towards unattainable perfection that we forget to find appreciation for the process. We get so consumed by the desire to be better that we are unable to appreciate and recognize our strength and growth. Because satisfaction is the last thing we want to achieve, it is so important to learn how to find joy in our journey without settling.
It is okay to take a step back and recognize how much you have grown. It is okay to be proud of yourself for the improvement that you have accomplished. It is okay to press pause and find joy in comparing where you started to where you are now. Whether it’s personal growth, improving in your talents, rebuilding burned bridges, whatever, you have to appreciate the uphill battle. Without that, you will undoubtedly burn yourself out entirely too quickly. If you keep going and going and going and choose to never be impressed with yourself out of fear of tasting satisfaction, you will crash and burn so hard that further improvement will be almost impossible.
It is okay to appreciate the process, folks. Without that appreciation, there is absolutely no way to stay motivated to continue to improve.
Appreciate it, guys. Be present, love in the now. Keep striving towards a better you every single day, and never, ever settle for satisfaction.
“Our slogan, Never Stay Satisfied, comes from the idea that things can always be better and therefore you should always being improving. If you're not moving forward fast enough then you're falling behind. If you put in the work, tomorrow can be just a little bit better than today.” - Jared Goering, Penrose Tech Inc.
