A condition defined as dissatisfaction with oneself despite having achieved all of one’s dreams, which is said to occur in people who are so wealthy and successful they have no mountains left to climb
I was lying on a beach in Thailand watching the sunset, despondently snapping sickeningly-smug-soon-to-be-on-Facebook photos, a cold bottle of beer wedged into the sand beside me and a cigarette languidly wafting to and fro in my hands, and I felt deeply uneasy. My friend gazed at her toes thoughtfully and huffed. Here, ladies and gentleman, you have Paradise Syndrome.
In such perfection, where are we to draw our aspirations from? What minor battles are there to fight so we can bask in a minor sense of achievement? Really, when everything is as we dream it should be, why do we feel so rubbish about it? After two weeks on a beach, I went running into the jungle where I could at least hope to get a bit lost and wage war on some leeches.
It just goes to show, what we think we want, and what we actually want, are not always the same thing. No big revelation there… but in this context it is important because it is a factor when you are choosing the location you would like to move to and thinking about what it is you would like to do. Nowhere is paradise really, and yet paradise can be found everywhere. Don’t get stuck on ideals, fantasies and fairy-lands.
Wherever you choose to go, you will find it fraught with annoyances and daily irritations. Not to mention (and this is key) YOU’LL be there. And if you’re there, all your little quirks and worries will be there too.
So be realistic, think about what it is you are hoping to achieve from this move and what it is you like to do which makes you feel at your happiest and most fulfilled. The chances are that the hammock and the sunset aren’t going to cut it.
Written by: Katie
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