“If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you’ll be unhappy for the rest of your life.”

Abraham Maslow was an incredible guide and this quote sums it up for me.

“You must want to be first-class … meaning the best, the very best you are capable of becoming. If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you’ll be deeply unhappy for the rest of your life. You will be evading your own capacities, your own possibilities.”

But it is ridiculously hard to live this wisdom.

Our capabilities are unknown and unknowable.

The best we can do is keep going, keep pushing, working hard, testing boundaries, trying to be our best selves, moment to moment, day to day, in the hope of creating something resembling a Good Life.

It is the process itself that makes the effort worthwhile.

There is no destination or fulfilment, only the joy of the journey itself.

And Maslow is right, if you don’t, the unhappiness will find you.

Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash