The Heart of Inefficiency and Victimhood

This week we have been talking about Victimhood, a theme I go into detail in my new book coming out later this year. Having spent so long in the personal development field, I noticed there were some misconceptions and worse – teachings that were outright that were keeping people stuck in a victim space. So I decided to write about it, and am sharing some of that with you here.

The Audi V6-FSI petrol engine is an incredible piece of machinery because it does one thing and one thing only. It moves the Audi machine forward in the most efficient way possible. It has no goals beyond this. It is not tasked with controlling the air conditioning, maintaining the oil pressure or regulating the hydraulics. It’s one and only job is to move the car forward.

It’s a highly specialised piece of machinery.

Not unlike a human being.

Except, humans have one thing the V6-FSI does not have. A brain to think and complicate matters.

To complicate matters, we have to introduce an ingredient that allows for the complication to occur without it being overly obvious. In fact, this ingredient actually feels like it’s necessary for the evolution of life.

That ingredient is Goals.

Goals and goal achievement have actually hurt more people than previously understood. Traditional personal development literature espouses the requirement of goals to be able to achieve a life of fulfilment. Goals are not required for fulfilment though.

Fulfilment cannot be measured. There is no attribute, outcome or measurable statistic that can sit on a business’s profit and loss statement to categorise an asset called fulfilment. This is because fulfilment is actually a feeling of progress. When someone says they feel fulfilled, what emotion are they feeling? Is it happiness? Contentment? Peace? Bliss?

One could argue that any positive emotion could be used as a description of fulfilment.

And so, if there is no specific emotion, what are the specific set of steps that create this myriad emotional trail? Those steps are anything that creates sufficient progress forward, bridging the gap between the perceived reality of now and the perceived future reality of then. The set of steps that take you from this version of you to the perceived version in the future that is already living the life you want.

This is an irrational assumption.

Of course, any version of the future perceived through the lens of the present will be perceived as someone who is living a more majestic life. However, when viewed from the perspective of that person, there will be an even higher version in the extended future that represents the new target.

It’s a never-ending search for growth leading to a perceived outcome that we never reach.

Fulfilment then is not reaching the goal.

Fulfilment is the feeling of progress towards it.

If you feel you are progressing, you will feel fulfilled.

So how is that going for you?

Let me know below.

Chris