The Myth of the Greener Grass

I used to watch my horses in dismay as they would stand near the fence and stare longingly at the adjacent pasture. I would become even more frustrated when they would push and strain their necks to reach the grass in the next pasture thus pushing against the already weakened fence. I tried reasoning with them, “The grass is not any better over there.” But they never believe me.

I was used to the greener grass myth since I was married to a cheater for most of my adult life. It was insulting to me when what he considered to be greener grass was so obviously not. Needless to say, the beckoning call to “greener grass” is very powerful and it makes people do stupid things. But being the positive person I am, I realized that the greener grass myth also makes people do great and courageous things too!
Have you ever noticed how every time a record is broken, more come up reaching for a faster speed, a higher mountain, a better score? What about those who win a gold medal at the Olympic Games? Often they come right back to compete again? What could be better than winning a gold medal? Winning TWO! It works the same with any type of success – the rich keep looking for more and more ways to fatten their accounts. There are many people who if they never work another day of their life and went on spending sprees every day, could still not live long enough to spend all their money. Yet they keep on working, keep on acting in movies, keep on writing, or they venture in a new direction to earn more money in a different arena. Why? It’s the same call of the greener grass.

Erik Weihenmayer is a great example of how the green grass myth has fueled his accomplishments. Erik is a blind man who managed to climb Mount Everest – something that most seeing men cannot do. But Erik didn’t stop at the summit of the highest mountain on earth. He went on to accomplish even more daring feats, such as ice climbing and he completed his goal in climbing the highest peak on all seven continents! You can read about Erik on his website at: www.touchthetop.com

I believe the myth of the greener grass fuels one of the powerful life forces known – Hope. It’s what keeps pushing us toward personal growth, toward improving our lives, toward accomplishments, and toward our life purpose. It seems anticipation is better than realization. The second a person stops hoping for future achievements – his life is over. Life equals growth and Hope is the seed of it. So don’t worry that the grass looks greener on the other side – it is nature’s way of motivating you to grow. Just don’t get stupid with it, otherwise you may lose the most valuable asset you own – character.

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