Should You Ever Stop Striving for More? (and just be happy where you are...)

A great question popped up on a LinkedIn group I read and follow:

Should you ever stop striving for more and just be happy where you are?

The conversation drew responses like wildfire. Many of the respondents are young working women at the beginning or middle of careers.  A great portion of these responses the young women indicate with enthusiasm they have no intention of losing their stride, ever looking for something more. Many say they are always looking for a way to improve their lot, move up and better their position.

There are some --both the young and some older women-- who answered from a little different angle; they feel happy where they are, but only because they continue to learn something on a regular basis. They have otherwise reached a career impasse.

A very few answered from the other side of the spectrum. They do not necessarily link their happy state with their ability to be upwardly mobile. Indeed, in this economy, some need to find their happiness in a static place, "bloom where you're planted," so to speak.

Finding happiness ("more?") only in an upward motion could be an effort in futility (bang head here) depending on where you live, what field you are in, and your age, among other factors.

As a woman getting up there past middle age, I am becoming aware I will likely not fulfill the dream I once had using the skill set I acquired through my education. But it doesn't stop me from trying new things---like this blog--- or pursuing other outlets which bring me happiness. I'm discovering my job does not define me at this point in my life. I've been there and done that. But what does define me is how I express myself, and what I do with my life outside of my job. Those things bring me happiness now. "More" might be learning a new skill or passing on a skill to someone else. "More" might mean branching out and doing something out of my comfort zone.

So....I guess in one sense, I can say that although I feel I've settled in my job, I have not stopped striving for happiness, if that's what "more" means.