Anticipation is often better than attainment

What was the last thing you REALLY wanted that you actually got?

And when you got it, did the feeling of getting it live up to your expectations?

How long was it before the excitement of the newness started to fate?

When did you new problems cropping up because of this new possession?

How long before those 'problems of ownership' became pressing problems that required your urgent attention?

What further desires were inflamed or purchases made in the interests of solving that new problem?

And so on, and so on.

We long to solve our problems in the anticipation of a better life, and in pursuit of the desire we forget that the better life comes with a new and more sophisticated set of problems

Our problems only end when our life ends.

This is wonderful news for marketers, as it means we have endless opportunities to satisfy existing demands and create new demands at the same time.

But as humans, we are subject to the same biases as everyone else, so it's good to remind ourselves that we will not in fact 'solve all our problems' when we attain some desired future state.

There is a lot of happiness to be had from working toward goals and seeing them realised, but only IF we remember that our efforts have no real 'end', other than the one we'd all like to put off for as long as possible.

Hope this helps.

Your trusted advisor,

John Caprani