Perhaps it should be called “the people’s conundrum” because it’s basically human nature. You finally get what you’ve wanted for a long time and, like any new shiny plaything, once you’ve had it for a while, you get bored and want something else.
That’s the nature of desire, and that’s also the trap.
At one level, when our awareness of attaining these things lies just at the base, material level, we set ourselves up for some mighty disappointments. So you want more money or the big job ”“ and the notoriety that comes with it. Or you want the boyfriend or the house, the wedding ring or the cover of the magazine. And then you want something bigger or brighter. We mistakenly go from thing to thing thinking the thing we’re searching for is in the thing.
It’s not that we shouldn’t go for ”“ or have ”“ these things. Part of why we’re here is to realize this very subtle shift of why we want the things we think we want. And that occurs by actually attaining them.
But those things are metaphors.
They actually represent the misplaced spiritual longing we desire to discover potentialities within ourselves. Whether it’s to be more creative, or get emotionally freer, or be happier right now, or push ourselves to new heights, or discover we’re so much more than we ever thought we were. The accomplishment of something shows you who you are.
So the acting job becomes a metaphor for your ever-expanding self-expression. The boyfriend is a metaphor for your ability to love.
So getting these things is great at the material level, but if it stays only at that level, the expectations of what we hope those things bring (but ultimately can’t) ”“ invariably leads to disappoint.
“This is it?” We often ask ourselves once we’ve finally gotten what we’ve worked so hard to achieve.
But if you put your awareness on who you become while experiencing these life events ”“ the experiences can then become life changing. The expectations become minimized and you simply have fun learning and discovering all the latent talents that are within you.
Bruce Lee said, “There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
That’s metaphor.
So our hearts naturally want us to ascend ”“ but the part of us that’s gotten comfortable is scared to leap to the next level. Leveling up doesn’t necessarily only mean material leveling up ”“ but rather, it’s who you become in the effort to level up.
If you don’t keep leaping, you’re going to find that even acting won’t provide you all the things you thought it would. It can’t. Neither can being a mom. Or a teacher. Or an astronaut. No one thing is ever going to be the answer. The answers are not in the thing. They’re in the pursuance of something that unveils you to yourself while being that thing.
So have zero expectations in anything or anyone. And just keep leaping. And eventually you’ll discover the metaphor of what it is you’re truly leaping for.