Ah Unicorns…those mystical, magical, one-horned creatures that many of us searched for as kids. We thought that if we could catch one, we would be given magical powers. As adults, we know they do not exist and have given up chasing unicorns. Or have we?
Many of us are not fully satisfied in our chosen profession. Do we work on changing the negative parts of our jobs? No, mostly we figure it will magically change as time marches on. We continue to chase that magical unicorn.
When burnout was starting to affect me, I noticed that productivity has slipped, but I claimed that I was not quite sure why. I was ignoring the fact that I was on social media way too much. Finding reasons to stay away from the office, I would slip out early. It came as a surprise to find how little was accomplished when five o’clock rolled around. I figured it will get better if I could just get my head back in the game. I was back to my childhood and chasing unicorns.
Many people look for quick fixes to difficulties in their lives. They know they need to lose some weight, so they jump on the latest diet fad, only to quit one week later. Or, people want to get more done in a day, so they download an app that guarantees to save them time, only to never look at the app again. Many are not happy with their life at the moment, so they buy a book that’ll tell them how to achieve everlasting happiness, only to never read it. They are chasing unicorns.
UNICORNS DO NOT EXIST. STOP CHASING THEM.
It doesn’t have to be that way. The sooner you realize that unicorns do not exist, the sooner you will stop wasting time chasing them. There are no quick fixes to solving life’s difficulties. But there are positive things you can do to make your life better. It will involve intensive self-reflection and hard work. It will pay off in the end, though, because the changes you make will be real and lasting.