Familiarity breeds contempt: Rupert Holmes is genius!

Humans are very peculiar if you really think about it.  We work so hard to achieve, yet once we arrive, discontentment soon follows. What is this? Some would say it's a positive "keep pushing" and "never satisfied" attitude that helps form a champion spirit. Ok...Perhaps.  Conversely, discontentment can also be the leak in our hull that keeps draining our satisfaction with our present moment.

This state of mind dilemma is explored in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology titled Less is more: The lure of ambiguity, or why familiarity breeds contempt (Norton, Michael I.; Frost, Jeana H.; Ariely, Dan).  The article findings suggest that humans become more discontent with a situation or person in relation to their familiarity.  For instance, we start off a job with great expectations, soon to be dissolved by the reality that all situations have their challenges. That great boss that you initially claimed to be a visionary or inspiration to you, over-time becomes a task master. The handsome prince charming that you romanced with unbridled commitment soon becomes a frog. The revelations of the article can be misconstrued by some as a license for change, however in my opinion it should be received as a revelation for self-analysis in regards to our own negative projecting tendencies.

While in college, I enrolled in an art class. Seemed like an easy A at the time. While I can't remember much from the class (this explains my C), what I did take away from my semester was a life enhancing statement from my professor when she said, "Great art takes the normal routine items of our day and reminds us of its unique beauty by giving us a fresh perspective." Since then, I've tried to apply this principle to my "normal" life,  knowing that like everyone else, I can accentuate the negative of my current situation instead of enjoying the beauty and experience that once captured my passion.

As life goes on, time can either build or erode. A moment can deliver or destroy. When our moments pass, and we inevitably grow more familiar with the people in our lives and the environment we operate in, lets challenge ourselves to look into the eyes of each moment and see the spirit that once enraptured us, instead of destroying what time has made familiar to us. Before you make that radical life change, take a cue from my art professor by breaking the routine of your familiar. It may re-energize your reality. Simply put, the musician Rupert Holmes was ahead of the behavioral strategy learning curve when he wrote the song "The Escape." A.k.a the "Pina Colada Song." Familiarity can repeatedly lead us through a vicious cycle, let's manage our moments creatively.

Win Today!

Victor