From career success to monumental personal achievements, or milestones of marriage, buying a house, or even going on vacation, our ability to imagine how something will make us feel is often vastly inaccurate.

We continually rank future emotions and experiences higher than day-to-day activities.

I’d spent my entire life caught up in the hustle. Feeling compelled to prove my worth, to earn respect, to earn love. Always busy. Always doing.

I’d made a great deal of progress in therapy and recovery rooms. I’d worked my steps and grew self-awareness, self-compassion, and acceptance. In many aspects of my life, I was “better.” I’d learned to surrender.

For the majority of my life, I’ve been a doer. A list maker. A person who accomplishes. It was often a character asset and contributed significantly to my career success.

As an only child, I conjured up activities to keep busy. Busy in the sense of 9-year-old projects, bustles, and schemes.

Some seemingly important duties like laundry or figuring out how to make a semblance of a meal.