Chasing better

Picture that gerbil on the wheel...it's chasing something that never comes....endlessly chasing. Great for burning calories.  Not so great for mental health.  That's us when we chase "better."  I want a "better" life, job, car...it's ongoing. There is always "better"... tempting us through facebook posts, commercials, childhood dreams, TV, movies....visions of "better" come to us constantly and entice us to spend endless amounts of energy in its pursuit.  But at what cost? Stress, anxiety, depression? Trust me -- I am not saying we should be content with mediocre.  But we might do well to switch the word "better"for the word "different."  I might be ready for a different car, job, house, friend group,etc...but it may or may not be "better."  By making this small change in our language, we create a goal that we can control and take ourselves off the gerbil wheel.  "Different" is a goal we can attain. "Better" is an always shifting illusion that sets us up for disappointment.