The Arrival Fallacy


We all have this mental picture of a desirable future the attainment of which we expect to give us a sense of fulfillment or “arrival”. 


Emma Gannon, in her book, “Success Myth” published in 2023, describes what she calls the “Arrival Fallacy”, an ideology which falsely suggests that reaching a certain milestone will bring enduring joy. In explaining her point she gave the following illustration. 


Picture this. For years, you've dreamed about publishing your first book, and it's finally happened. The book launch is thrilling, full of celebration and a sense of accomplishment. And yet, a few months later, you feel deflated and unfulfilled, despite having achieved your goal.


Achieving a long-awaited goal often leads to a surprising letdown, exposing the myth that success guarantees lasting happiness. This phenomenon isn't limited to publishing a book, but also applies to other major life events like landing a dream job, acquiring a new home, getting promoted, finishing a marathon, or tying the knot. 


While these accomplishments are noteworthy and deserving of celebration, they rarely deliver the permanent joy we anticipate. As the initial euphoria subsides, life's usual ups and downs resume. This is known as the 'arrival fallacy.'


So what do we do? While pursuing our desired higher feats, we must pause to find joy and fulfillment in the process. We must find meaning in the everyday journey of life instead of waiting to 'arrive'.


The “Preacher” therefore notes that it is from the hand of God to find satisfaction in your everyday work. 


“A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.” (Ecclesiastes 2:24)


Remain inspired!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eyes are watching

Eyes are watching!!!!!!! Most things when done out of the sight of others, especially, things that are not worthy, what do we most of the times hear the perpetrators say; “nobody saw us or nobody was around”. Yes indeed, to them nobody saw them. But the most appropriate thing to be said is, “we did not see anybody around”, for all you know eyes are watching. The eyes that watch us one way or the other affect us, because a time will come when these same eyes are going to make decisions about us and pass out judgments. Yes, a time will come when the eyes that are monitoring and watching us will determine our future. One may ask in what way will these eyes determine our future? Let’s go to scripture and read something from there, ACTS 1:23, when the disciples had to replace Judas Iscariot, the bible says “so they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas and Mathias”. But before that, they had their criteria for choosing these two men. So you ask yourself how were the disciples able to c
Read more

A Punctuation in History

 #BeInspiredToday 20-12-2022 A Punctuation in History The birth of Jesus has permanently altered the course of history in many ways, including how dates are recorded. The current global standard for the measurement of dates is known as the Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII, under whose tenure it was instituted. Both the Gregorian calendar, and its predecessor - the Julian calendar - are based on the supposed birth date of Jesus Christ. It was Dionysius Exiguus, a Christian monk, who first proposed in the year 525 that dates be recorded in reference to the birth of Jesus Christ, hence the invention of the acronyms BC ("Before Christ") and AD ("Anno Domini" - Latin for "In the year of the Lord"). In relatively recent times, some have tried to change this with the excuse that it is not fair to other religious faiths. But no matter who likes it or not, the birth of Jesus has become a globally accepted reference point for the reckoning of dates.
Read more

IS GOD SILENT OR WE ARE DEAF?

Erwin W. Lutzer in his book, Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible, narrates the story of Ingmar Bergman, a Swedish film director who one day stood next to a portrait of Christ in a cathedral in Europe and whispered, “Speak to me!” He only encountered dead silence after waiting enough while. It has been said Bergman was motivated by this experience to come out with a movie entitled Silence, which portrayed people who despaired in their attempt to seek God. Bergman’s frustration was evident in his words: “In our world, we hear only ourselves. No voice comes to us from outside the universe. When we seek a word from God, we are confronted with dead calm”. Well, a portrait of Christ cannot speak. It is only Christ himself who can speak. Imagine I take a photogragh of the prime minister of Britain and pose a question to it. I will certainly be confronted with dead silence. Does that mean Britain’s prime minister never speaks? If we cannot hear from God, the most logical conclusio
Read more