Random musings of a man who might have found the 'theory' to happiness...

There seems to be a clear trade off between being big and being good. Why is growth a given. Can we choose not to grow and instead focus on values that are close to our hearts? Is it possible to have a simple life and choose not to grow? Is it possible for a company to stay where they are and refuse the opportunity to grow? We tend to judge success by outward size. We tend to believe that size is the only thing that matters. When I look at my career and look with some satisfaction at what I might have achieved / not achieved, what matters? The size of my pay packet, the size of my desk, my team, what? When a company grows larger and larger chasing growth, how do you judge it? The size of its sales, employee force, balance sheet, what?
Whenever I think about this and go home all disturbed, I see my daughter, my wife. The answer is right there… blowing in the wind… (Sorry couldn’t resist that one). Too many businesses pursuing growth and expansion, when they should be pursuing happiness and satisfaction. What is the matrix of human achievement at the end of it all? Happiness and satisfaction. Can growth give you that? This is not meant to be rhetoric.
The point of satisfaction is different for different people. Some will never stop. They are the Chasers. They create jobs, money and income for all. They are valuable for the advance of society as we know it. The ones that see a point and stop are the Anchors. They bring happiness and content to our lives. They bring solidity and support. They help balance the energy. The perfect yin and yan of our lives. As always one must not impose on the other. Families typically do well to have a mix of both in their lives. The Anchor role is typically played by the older and the Chaser role by the younger. Allowing for both philosophies to exist might be an important part of family life. As families get nuclear the importance of retaining this balance is even more important.
Friends play a large role in this as well. We at different points of our lives oscillate between the two. Chase, Anchor. After running like a plucked chicken all day, one recognizes and appreciates the calming influence of a friend who quietly listens and slows down the pace. When being down and out, a friend who encourages you to be up and doing is being the Chaser. You could be a Chaser one moment and an Anchor the next. I doubt if there are people who sit only on one side of the fence, never to traverse the other side.
Understanding that there is a Chaser and an Anchor in you is an interesting part of your self understanding. Realizing that these opposites can exist and that you willfully allow them to exist as well is important. Choosing when to allow which beast to run is THE ART.
While the twains coexist, at a point of decision you must choose. You cannot straddle the middle line. Yes, no or at the best abstain. You may wait till you have the time but given the time for choice a firm choice must be made either way. We face irritation when we do not release that we want to be both. I somehow visualize Tarzan here. He swings from one vine to another. Picture this, Tarzan swinging from one vine holds another and does not let go of either. He is pretty much stuck. Quite a funny picture. I could not resist drawing this. It is a vivid picture in my mind.

I am sure is this position he would be feeling pretty ‘stuck’. Let go of one.

While I say ‘let it go’... a tune got stuck in my head… let it go, let it go, let it go… I kept searching for it and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Till I realized I had got my words and tune mixed up. I was humming – let it snow let it snow let it snow… sure enough… I got it… here you are a Dean Martin classic I assume. I love the tune. And I still like singing… let it go let it go let it go.