Every week, Dr. Justin Altschuler writes a post that provides new insight and perspective into the familiar parts of life, helping readers live a healthy, happy, meaningful life.
You Can Do Anything
Anything is possible. Quick Summary: You can do anything. You cannot do everything. We’re told that we can have it all, do it all, and be it all— whatever we want is, with enough work and drive and dedication— attainable. I'm optimistic at heart, and I believe that people can do anything. But, doing anything is often confused with doing everything, and while I believe you can do anything, you cannot do or be everything. The confusion between these two concepts has come up in several conversations lately, so I thought I’d turn the idea into a newsletter. Here goes… When we're young, the world feels full of unlimited opportunities and endless possibilities. We have our whole lives ahead of us, and anything (and everything) seems achievable. However, as we grow up, we begin to realize that we can't do everything; in order to pursue some paths, we have to turn away from others. In order to achieve our goals and pursue our dreams, we have to make choices. We have to prioritize what's important to us and let go of the things that aren’t. Saying yes to this means saying no to that. But closing opportunities can be psychologically difficult because it feels like we're giving something up (hot tip: we are). When we give something up, we feel a sense of loss or sadness as we say goodbye to a potential future. Given that we are pleasure-seeking-pain-avoiding monkeys, we seek to avoid that pain. While this may seem like a good strategy in theory, it can lead to decision paralysis and fear of committing to any one path. The pressure to maintain options (avoiding the pain of closing off potential paths) makes commitment difficult, even when we are committing to things that are aligned with our goals or values. We may worry that we're missing out on something, or closing doors that could lead to success. This can lead to a sense of anxiety and uncertainty, as we struggle to make decisions and move forward. We find ourselves haunted by what if. Making a commitment, and closing the door on an opportunity, can feel like settling, like not taking advantage of everything that life has to offer. Good enough feels like defeat. Yet the idea of "good enough" can be a highly positive space, one that's rooted in contentment and gratitude. The constant push for everything is exhausting and demoralizing. The idea of "good enough" allows us to find satisfaction and joy in the present and in what we have, rather than constantly worrying about what could be or what might have been. It reminds us to appreciate what we have and to be grateful for the blessings in our lives. Good enough is not about settling, but rather about recognizing and celebrating the value of what we have achieved. Anything is possible, but everything is a trap, a mirage that leaves us constantly wanting more. |
-Dr. Justin Share Doc’s Thoughts If you enjoyed today’s newsletter, share it with your friends and family! If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe to receive them in the future! |
Doc’s Thoughts
Every week, Dr. Justin Altschuler writes a post that provides new insight and perspective into the familiar parts of life, helping readers live a healthy, happy, meaningful life.
Doc’s Thoughts This is a bit of different weekly post. This one is a roundup of previous writing I’ve done around the New Year. But first, if you didn’t read the holiday posts on love, peace, and joy. Last week, I talked about how curiosity can be the engine of change. Turns out, I’ve written about New Years (and New Years adjacent) topics quite a bit. Rather than do another post, I thought I’d dust off the archive a bit. Here’s a bit of a round-up: Setting intentions rather than goals as we...
Doc’s Thoughts Given my interest in growth and change, the New Year offers a natural segue for reflection. This year, my thinking about change centers on curiosity and experimentation. When we notice a gap between where we are and where we would like to be, the problem is rarely a lack of information. We generally know what to do. The difficulty lies in closing that gap—making time, setting priorities, finding the courage to face our fears, or even naming them in the first place. One way to...
Doc’s Thoughts This time of year, injunctions to be joyful are everywhere—on cards, lawn decorations, storefronts, and signs. We seem to treat joy as a switch to turn on– we were not so into it in October, and we’ll be over it come January, but now ‘tis the season. And yet joy often feels elusive. The irony is that this elusiveness is not a failure of effort, planning, or even intention. It is a consequence of how we relate to joy in the first place. The problem is not that we want joy, but...