You Won’t Always Get What You Want In Life, But Maybe That’s Okay

If we could have anything that we wished to have in this world, life would be easier. Everyone would be happy. There would be no misery, conflict, and drama. Our hearts would be at peace every second of the day. It would be euphoric.

But life doesn’t work that way, does it?

This world that we live in doesn’t promise a painless journey. No matter how hard we try to live righteously, to follow all the rules, somehow something will still go wrong. Disappointment is inevitable. I guess even the most successful people still get frustrated once in a while. No one is exempt from feeling unhappy, lonely, and dissatisfied.

So maybe aiming for a perfect life is unrealistic. You will not always start your day feeling motivated. You won’t get a perfect score all the time. You will not impress your boss every week. You will miss your gym schedule sometimes. And some days, you will feel like you’re not measuring up.

There will always be something that you wish you could have done better.

It’s human nature to desire more. A lot of us have been conditioned to believe that more is better. That having more friends will make you feel more loved. That simultaneously dating more people will help you find the right one quicker. But maybe the endless pursuit of more is not the solution.

Being surrounded by many people does not automatically mean you will never be lonely. The void inside of you will not be cured by anyone. It is only you who can fix it. No amount of material things can make it disappear. The void will follow you anywhere you go. So perhaps the best way to manage it is to take it by the horn and deal with it.

Let that gaping hole in your chest be a reminder that you will not have everything that you want in life—and maybe that’s okay.

You just have to determine what’s enough for you. What is it that truly inspires your heart to beat loudly? What is the sole reason why you do what you do? If you lower your standards a little bit, will it help you achieve happiness? Will you smile more often when you start counting what you have instead of what you could have?

Things will not always go your way. You can’t control the weather. You can’t force someone to keep loving you. It’s impossible to avoid failure. It’s even more impossible to please all the people on this planet.

You’re going to be let down sometimes—by yourself, by others, by different circumstances. You’re going to get heartbroken too. And it’s all part of the game. Shit happens to all of us.

What’s probably comforting is knowing that if you can’t get all that you want, then neither can everyone else. And clearly, some of us have survived the struggles and frustrations they have encountered in their everyday lives. Some of us continue to love despite being betrayed in the past. Some of us still strive to be better. And some of us still try to keep going no matter how much pain they’re carrying with them.

Life is not a fairytale. There is no genie in a lamp. There is no pill that can pulverize all your problems. No one can protect you from getting hurt. And certainly you will not get everything that you want in this world. But that doesn’t mean life is not worth living.

Every experience you have will contribute something valuable to your story. Your wins will define your strength, but the way you deal with your losses will define your character.

The world is not going to grant all your wishes, and maybe that’s because that is its way of teaching you to appreciate the small things. It shows you that having more is not synonymous with being happy. It reminds you that even though you don’t have everything that you want right now, you still have everything that you need. And maybe that’s enough.