I think a lot of the time I spend my present optimizing for the future. I plan yearly and monthly goals, stress over adding value to the world, and mull over "qualifications" on a job posting.
While this is all important, my present joy is equal in value. Making random plans with friends, binging a penny series on YouTube and curating my perfect Spotify playlist ... it all seems very trivial.
I am slowly accepting that trivial, fleeting joy is still joy nonetheless. I'm chasing my end goal of joyful fulfillment with a large feat like founding a company that solves a global problem, but a drop in my joy bucket is still a drop.
For me, these "trivial" joys fuel me, keeping me away from burnout. If I could choose one characteristic I'm proud of achieving, it would be my willingness to enjoy the present while making steady progress towards the future.
I hope you're enjoying the present too! After all, we only ever live the present and nothing else. š°ļø
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