Atmosphere of Growth

OK, so what am I spouting about now?

Basically the theory is that what makes us happy now will not make us happy later if we stagnate. We need to live in an atmosphere that allows us to grow and strive to keep being happy.

Seems like a pretty easy concept, I can think of lots of examples:

Think of all the divorced couples that had one or more partners who felt stifled, that they couldn't grow as a person or in their job, or whatever. The lack of an atmosphere of growth is what killed that relationship.

The person who has their dream job one year and just a few years later hates it. Why? Because there is no place for them to go father with their career. They are stuck and they hate it. No growth sends them to another job or career.

An artisan who gets burnt out. Same shows every year, same display, same product line, same, same, same. The customers get as bored as the artisan does in this case. It doesn't have to be all new every year, but growing keeps it interesting for you and your customers.

So I've been on a growth kick this year. Taking lots of classes, listening to podcasts, getting back to reading actual books, and expanding the business in some new ways. Am I happier? I don't know if my overall happiness quotient has raised, but I am happier in the moment. I am happier to be in the car when I have something interesting to listen to. I am happier in my free time when I am working on a new craft. And because of these types of things, the things that take from my happiness seem to be less frequent and less intense.

Now when I get unhappy I look for ways to get out of my rut, to do or try something new, to learn, to grow and that typically gets me out of my funk. Bored with cooking, try a new recipe book. Tired of making soap, look for some new fragrances to experiment with. Sick of the same old routine, time for a new restaurant and maybe a date night to change things up. Build your atmosphere of growth :)