In general, I understand that compromising is important. However, when it comes to major life decisions, I genuinely don’t understand why some people just settle for “good enough,” assuming that they have the socioeconomic ability to choose freely. Is it unrealistic to want something “great?”
Short term compromises are necessary. If you’re with a group of friends figuring out whether to order pizza or burgers for dinner, the majority wins. So, if you grab a slice even though you wanted a burger, everybody moves on with their day. You’ll probably even forget what you ate that night by the end of the week.
This decision won’t affect your long-term happiness. On the other hand, when it comes to more significant issues and life decisions, such as deciding who, if anyone, to spend the rest of (or at least a large portion of) your life with, compromising is more of a hindrance than anything. Is it unrealistic to want to not just be placated and content, but to be legitimately satisfied and fulfilled in the long-term?
Why do some people choose to become life partners with someone who they don’t completely love, but feel like they are “good enough” for them? In other words, why settle for someone who doesn’t make you happy — someone who doesn’t make you feel fulfilled and satisfied? I understand that love is dynamic, so people are certainly capable of falling out of love. However, I’m still baffled by the fact that some take their lives for granted and spend so much time with someone who doesn’t make them truly happy. I’m not talking about arranged marriages or marriages for the sake of financial or social standing; I am referring to marriages that are only for the sake of love.
Not everyone will get married, but the vast majority of people will have at least one job during their lifetime. This is another situation where compromising is debilitating in the long-term. Some people work 9-5 jobs for 30+ years and eventually retire, while hating their position the entire time. So, assuming you have the freedom to choose your main occupation, is it worth your time and well-being to dedicate decades of your life to a job that grants you a decent salary even if you hate pretty much every second of it? If you had this freedom, wouldn’t you choose to be happy and satisfied instead of exhausted and disappointed? Again, I understand that not everyone has the opportunity to choose every aspect of their life with complete autonomy. All I’m saying is that if you have the opportunity and capability to do something to make your life more satisfying on your own terms, then you should do it.
I find it unreasonable that some people who have the opportunity to live a satisfying life don’t do so, often for arbitrary reasons. Our time on this earth is limited, so why not take the extra steps to feel like you’ve lived a life that you find satisfying? At the end of your life, you shouldn’t have to look back at it and think “I could have done better.”
