Saturday, January 3, 2009

Jumping Off The Treadmill

"The problem is that pay raises, new lovers, new jewelry, and new jobs can all seem exciting an rewarding at first, but over time you adjust, and their emotional luster dims. What was once thrilling eventually seems no moare than mildly pleasant. Brickman called this phenomenon - the idea that people can chase emotional highs but adaptation will drag them back to a neutral mood - the 'hedonic treadmill.'" - Ed Diener

The passage goes on to tell the story of man whose euphoria over beating cancer lasted just a few days! As far as I can tell, the mind needs constant refreshment, people need change in order to rediscover truly lasting happiness. Just this morning I briefly found myself stewing over a comment made at work last week. Lately my hourly journaling has nipped these kinds of mental pity parties in the bud. Why play around in the tired old moments of the past? Today and tomorrow are filled with opportunity to do something different - read something funny, run an errand by taking a new route, watch some news for current events, buy a new magazine, take a jog, organize something that's been disorderly for a while. Why be a "hedonist"? Why not make the next hour be a unique gem all its own?

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