It's important for us to remember in our own journey to self improvement: one never arrives.
This quote from The Daily Stoic perfectly depicts why I'm so bullish towards life and why I'm excited to get another day of life every time I wake up.
In the modern world, as a consequence of the fiat system, we are conditioned to believe to strive towards 'arriving'. That the whole goal of life is to 'arrive', and that will lead to happiness and comfort. We are conditioned to believe that we have 'arrived' in terms of knowledge and education after we are finished with higher education and received a degree. We are conditioned to believe we have 'arrived' in regards to a good life once we land a stable job and have the money to put down towards a down payment for a house, and because we have 'arrived' we can now settle down and get away with minimal effort and work until we 'arrive' at our final destination before death, retirement. The mentality and conditioning that one can 'arrive' and has 'arrived' only leads to complacency and a lack of internal drive and desire to continue self growth and improvement. Because why put forth the continued effort for self improvement when you've essentially already 'arrived' at your supposed pinnacle of life right? Got yourself a nice degree proving you are 'intelligent' enough, got yourself a decent paying job, a good looking spouse, a comfortable house, the car of your dreams, and have obtained the sought out status of 'the one who has arrived'.
You're so accomplished, acquired mostly everything you've wanted, and are living a more than comfortable life, and yet, there's a deep void within you. You've made it, you 'arrived' at the destination that was supposed to make you feel fulfilled and successful, you did everything exactly the way you were told, but here you are, more lost than ever, without purpose.
"It's important for us to remember in our own journey to self improvement: one never arrives."
Self improvement is a life long journey not a destination. This is why life all of a sudden feels full of purpose and becomes infinitely more beautiful when we understand in fact there is no end to how far we can improve our lives. And even as we inevitably inch closer to our death, death itself cannot stop this journey of continued growth and evolution, as we can pass on the baton to those who we have shared our experiences and knowledge with.
I am bullish on life because I better understand that I will never arrive, and thus my potential for growth and self improvement is limitless.