"𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝" 𝐕𝐬 "𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬": 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫?

I’ve been thinking lately about the two different symphonies people conduct with their lives. It’s an observation that stuck me as I picked up practising music on the iPad.

On one side, some find a profound completeness in the simple movement. They are the easily satisfied. For them, happiness is not a distant summit but the ground beneath their feet. They get two lines of music right, and in that small perfection, they feel the entire purpose of their practice is fulfilled. They have a quiet dinner, and the simplicity of the meal is itself a feast. They have just enough money in the bank to feel secure, and their contentment is deep and unwavering. Their social needs are met not by a crowd, but by the quality of a few, deeply resonant interactions. Their ambition is directed inward, toward a state of being rather than a list of having. Their achievement is the mastery of contentment itself.

Then there are the others, the strivers. Their engine is a beautiful, relentless need for more. For them, two lines of music are merely a gateway to the entire concert. A good meal is a prelude to a better one. Financial security is a platform for greater growth and impact. Their social need is a wide net, drawing energy from countless connections and collaborations. Their ambition is a fire that constantly seeks new fuel. Their sense of validation is often tied to tangible progress, to the next milestone reached, the next goal conquered. Their achievement is measured in scale and scope.

This distinction is fundamental. The easily satisfied have a low threshold for enough. They can identify the moment a need is met and stop there, savouring the satisfaction. The strivers have a moving threshold for enough. Each accomplishment sets a new baseline, and the horizon of their desire continually shifts. One is present-focused, finding joy in the process. The other is future-focused, deriving happiness from the outcome.

So, is one path superior? Is the easily satisfied person lacking ambition? I don’t believe so. Their ambition is simply for a different kind of mastery: the mastery of self, the achievement of peace. They complete things that are deeply meaningful to them, like perfecting those two lines of music or maintaining a life of beautiful stability. The striver, in their relentless pursuit, achieves incredible things but faces the risk of chronic discontent, always chasing a feeling that vanishes upon arrival.

Perhaps the wisdom is in recognising which symphony we are naturally conducting, and in understanding that both are valid compositions for a life. The goal is not to judge the other’s score, but to listen to the quiet music of our own enough. The Melody of contentment or the Rhythm of Striving, both are good in their places.

What do you hear?