There’s a certain kind of ache that doesn’t scream—it lingers. It shows up when you get the thing you thought you wanted and still feel… nothing. When you’re surrounded by good moments but too restless to enjoy them. When you’re always waiting for the next milestone, the next version of yourself, the next sense of arrival. It’s the ache of a life lived elsewhere—always wanting, never full. And in a world that constantly tells us to do more, be more, and chase more, presence can feel like a radical act.
Humans are actually very greedy. We want what we want, when we want it, exactly how we want it. And then we get it. And we immediately want more.
I live in a constant state of overstimulation. I feel like I’m always trying to do a million things at once, walking around with the worlds longest to-do list, checking off the boxes as I go. In this endless race I have with myself to be the best, I often forget that I am living in answered prayers. Those things I mindlessly checked off and disregarded in an instant, are things that I begged, prayed, and worked really hard for. But my inability to stop, breathe, and be where my feet are, have created this false idea that I am still not doing enough.
Social media feeds heavily into this narrative. One scroll and you’re hit with someone your age taking five vacations a year, driving something brand new, living in a high-rise with floor-to-ceiling windows. Meanwhile, I’m first in line to spend my last $7 on a matcha. It’s hard not to feel behind.
We all know the saying: comparison is the thief of joy—yeah yeah, we get it. But, comparison is also a compass. It shows you what you want, even if it smacks you in the face on the way there. Sure, everyone’s timeline is different and what’s meant for you won’t miss you- but let’s be real, most of us are incredibly impatient. Instead of appreciating where we are, we spiral into a mental maze.
I’m a dreamer. Who isn’t? The world is full of shiny, exciting possibilities and I want them all. Ask me what my future looks like and I’ll name seven careers, in seven different cities, doing things that barely connect. And that makes it hard to focus. So I either do nothing (classic workload paralysis) or I try to do everything at once and end up burning out before I even get started. Basically, I’m living in the future and ghosting the present.
But then I pause. I think about where I was two years ago. And honestly? I would’ve been thrilled to be where I am now. That version of me was hoping for the life I’m living today. So maybe, just maybe, two years from now I’ll look back on this moment and smile… realizing I was never really behind, just still becoming.
We chase the next thing like it’s gonna save us; yet we move the finish line farther and farther each time we get closer. While ambition isn’t a bad thing, it becomes a trap when we start living only for what’s next. Hustle culture suffocates us. Productivity is not purpose. We’re chasing things not even knowing if these are things worth embracing. We wonder why we don’t feel satisfied, even after all the wins and successes. Have we ever tried to consider that satisfaction lives in the pause. It’s not about having more, but noticing more; more stillness, more grattitude, more small pleasures. Real contentment is buried under the to-do lists.
We overlook the quiet beauty in everyday things: I feel happiest after a dinner with my best friends, a happy hour drink with my sister, a random conversation with my co-workers, a matcha made just right- these are the small pleasures that make me feel a sense of “peace” and “calm.” I am forever burnt-out and exhausted with the hustle. I’m never satisfied because I am disconnected from the present- and that’s where satisfaction really exists. If we can’t be present for the little joys, the milestones won’t satisfy us either. Because there will always be more to chase. More to fix. More to want.
In the end, maybe satisfaction isn’t something we chase or earn—it’s something we slow down enough to feel. It lives in the small moments we overlook, the choices that are truly ours, and the quiet knowing that we don’t have to prove our worth to anyone. Life might never be perfect, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be enough. Maybe it already is—we’ve just been too busy looking ahead to notice.
Satisfaction isn’t hiding in the next big achievement; it’s in learning to pay attention. To notice. To be here. Because when we’re grounded in the present, nothing feels missing. We stop waiting for happiness to arrive and realize it’s been showing up all along—in small, ordinary moments, just waiting to be seen.
Maybe satisfaction was never meant to be some grand, fireworks-filled moment. Maybe it’s more like a soft exhale; a quiet knowing that you’re allowed to want more without rushing past what you already have. We spend so much time trying to “arrive,” we forget we’re already living. Already worthy. Already in the middle of something beautiful. So no, you don’t need a rebrand, a 10-step plan, or a new city to start feeling full. What you do need? To slow down, sip your overpriced matcha, romanticize the hell out of your Tuesday afternoon, and remind yourself: this moment counts too. Life is happening right now, don’t miss it trying to chase the next version of it.
