Optimistic Discontent: The Key To Succeeding While Maintaining Sanity

At age 14, I was given the chance to play for a share of the national title at the U.S. Junior High Chess Championship. I found myself staring down at a 64-square silent battlefield with the opportunity to be a national champion.

As a low-rated player from the podunk state of Idaho, I had no business playing for the title. Many of the top players were from big-market cities: New York, San Francisco, etc. And yet, here was a random dude from Boise, Idaho who had prevailed amidst a sea of over 1,000 pimply kids.

My game was being projected onto screens for spectators to watch. Commentators and former champions were analyzing the moves made by my opponent and me. I was in nerd heaven.

I knew I had clinched a top-10 placement regardless of the last game’s outcome, and I was elated at the thought of bringing a massive trophy back home.

In other words, I was satisfied.

Caught up in the excitement of what I had already accomplished, I took my foot off the gas in the final game…and I got throttled. If there were knockouts in chess, I would have been lying flat on the mat at the end of that last game. TKO.

My opponent was much better than me, but I hadn’t given myself much of a chance because I was caught up in the moment. My contentment with my current state kept me from being the best I could be.

Contentment Can Be Counterproductive

That experience was the first time I realized that contentment can be counterproductive. Contentment can manifest as easing up when you’ve already accomplished more than you thought possible. Contentment can hold you back.

Satisfaction with your current state breeds stagnation. If you’re comfortable with what you’ve already achieved, you will stop pushing to do more. You will inhibit your own progression.

On the flipside, discontentment has its own problems. Discontentment can be a recipe for depression and sadness. If we only focus on what we’re missing, we become miserable human beings — bemoaning our lives and belittling our accomplishments.

If contentment and discontentment both miss the mark, how should we view our accomplishments?

Optimistic Discontent

I’ve begun to view my life and achievements through the lens of optimistic discontent. In other words, I’m excited about what I’ve achieved thus far, but I know I can do more.

When I read about the lives of people who — at my age — have already written six bestselling books, started a successful company, or given a rousing TED talk, I don’t hang my head. I’m optimistic that I can accomplish the same things I’ve seen others achieve.

Reading about the success of others has become my compass to show me what’s possible. It’s my fuel to drive me to do more. It helps me dream bigger than I otherwise would.

Satisfaction with your current state breeds stagnation. If you’re entirely comfortable with what you’ve already achieved, you will stop pushing to do more. You will inhibit your own progression.

As I’ve shared this concept with friends, I’ve gotten polarized reactions.

Some people think it’s dangerous to elevate discontentment as a virtue. I get where they’re coming from, but I find optimistic discontent to be liberating. The concept gives me the freedom to celebrate my successes while simultaneously empowering me to dream bigger.

Two Opposing Thoughts

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald

I’ve come to believe that to be both happy and successful, you must simultaneously hold two opposing thoughts in your mind:

I am pleased with what I have accomplished.
I have much more to accomplish.

Be grateful for what you’ve achieved. Celebrate your victories, but don’t let them impede your future success. Revel in others’ accomplishments, as they point toward what you too can accomplish. Cultivate optimistic discontent.