Satisfied To Be Dissatisfied

"Dissatisfaction is the basis of progress. When we become satisfied, we become obsolete."
- J. Williard Marriott, Jr.

I'm always intrigued when I come across a quote that I can't decide on whether I agree with or not. I find that these quotes are usually ones that make such a concrete statement of something being one way or another and I often find myself agreeing on both sides of the extreme. In my continual quest of blogging for balance, these quotes are ideal to show how I try and balance the different aspects of my life.

There are many facets of business that require different degrees of dedication, focus and attention. Sometimes the outcome may be satisfactory, but what if we conducted ourselves in a way where we didn't move on until we were more than satisfied with the result? If the proper resources are provided to get the job done (i.e. dedication, focus and attention), one would likely not just be satisfied with the result, but rather be pleased with the outcome and therefore feel like that particular task is complete - ready to move on to the next one. I would say that is a true feeling of progress, not to be mistaken for the superficial feeling of progress by just getting something finished so you can move on to the next thing, such as the never ending items found on a to-do list. We may not always be afforded the necessary resources to make the kind of progress that we can ultimately achieve, but if we're simply satisfied with the results, then there's probably more that can be done.

Looking at this concept relevant to your non-professional life can be dangerous. On one hand, if you're satisfied with everything in your life you might think that interprets to happiness. On the other hand, you may think those that are dissatisfied with everything in life are unhappy. Undoubtedly either scenario could be true, but it's more likely that a healthy balance of both is where most people will thrive. If you're satisfied with all aspects of your life, then you may start to feel complacent or bored and ultimately not be happy with where you've ended up. If you're constantly looking for the next best thing - a bigger house, a faster car, more money - then you'll likely not find happiness in the progress you have made. The extremes of either scenario would show that it's not always one or the other, but rather a balance of satisfaction and dissatisfaction that may be key to a healthy lifestyle.

When it comes down to it, I think the word itself, "satisfied," may be misleading in measuring progress. It may be better to use stronger measures, such as "pleased" or "disappointed" which may give a clearer definition of the progress being made. If you're disappointed in the outcome, then keep at it until you're pleased - that's when you really know your'e making progress.