But the downside to the novelty of starting over is chronic dissatisfaction. My biggest fear is getting bored with my job and wanting to escape it. While I think dissatisfaction can be completely normal, chronic dissatisfaction and wanting to escape, instead of fixing the problem, is not.
If the thing to which we’ve committed is not the right fit, that’s one thing. But if we foster this “more, more, more” mentality to infect everyday life, we’d be allowing the loss of novelty to justify our moving on.
So how can I limit my exposure to this disease in Kenya? How can I decrease the probability of burn out when all I want is a different adventure? A friend suggested that every project completed should be celebrated in a big way. Celebrate its success and finality. Basically, she’s saying I should celebrate life, a skill I’ve yet to perfect.
I believe the reward for hard work is more work. But I’ve yet to learn how to do that without experiencing burn out. I fear that more than I fear the unexpected from living in a foreign land. Learning how to incorporate the “more, more, more” curiosity and seeing novelty in perspective rather than in things or places will be my biggest adventure yet.
