Satisfaction

“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

“I'd rather be dead than singing 'Satisfaction' when I'm 45.” ― Mick Jagger, ca 1972

I listened to a podcast several months ago about satisfaction. The guest defined it as “the thrill you get from accomplishing a goal you’ve been working on.” I can’t remember which podcast or who the guest was, but the conversation impacted me enough to jot down some notes which I later used as an opening for a Vinyasa class. 

We’re hard-wired to make progress, to achieve. The paradox is that we think that when we achieve a certain goal, we’ll be happy. That’s called the arrival fallacy. Once we finally get the car, the house, the relationship, the pose, the yoga butt… then all will be well. 

But satisfaction can’t and doesn’t last. It’s in our DNA to want more. Think of a baby taking her first step. Does she stop there? Of course not, she learns to walk, run, climb…each milestone a thrill…but not a permanent one. 

Simone Biles won 4 gold medals and 1 bronze in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. “Rio was the highlight of my life,” she said in the Netflix documentary, Simone Biles Rising. But when she got home, she thought, “Oh shit, I just achieved my greatest feat at 19. What the heck am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?” She fell into a deep depression. “Everyone told me I had just won the Olympics. How could I be sad?”

This is a common phenomenon, particularly among high achievers. You can’t keep no satisfaction. 

There’s a foundational yogic teaching called Abyasa:Vairagya, which roughly translates to Persistent Effort:Let Go of the Results. Finding balance between the two can be an extremely difficult practice. Just watch the face of the nominated actor who didn’t win the Oscar or the Olympian who didn’t medal. Or talk to a parent who lovingly raised a child but doesn’t agree with their choices as an adult. 

The good news is that, as thrilling as it is to achieve a goal, the greater victory, as Gandhi notes, comes from progress toward accomplishment, even when the accomplishment requires intense struggle. 

My goal in my yoga practice is to keep progressing. That progress might mean experiencing the thrill of finally nailing that arm balance. It might mean honoring an injury or limitation. It might mean recognizing that it’s best to stop doing a pose I used to be able to do in order to sustain my practice. Practicing Abyasa:Vairagya on the mat helps me practice it off the mat with greater clarity and understanding so that I can continue to grow personally and in relation to others. 

Mick Jagger is now 81. I’m guessing he’s sung Satisfaction more than 1000 times since he turned 45.  

You can’t always get what you want (but if you try sometimes…).