Why We Chase what We Don’t Need

Human beings are funny creatures. We crave what we don’t have and often neglect what’s already in our hands. It’s almost like we’ve been programmed to believe that the grass is always greener somewhere else.

Take a moment and think about the last thing you really, really wanted. Maybe it was a promotion, a new phone, a relationship, or a lifestyle you saw online. You probably told yourself, “If I just get this, I’ll feel complete.” Then what happened? Maybe you got it and the happiness lasted a little while. Then slowly, the excitement faded, and you were back searching again.

Why does this happen? Psychologists call it the hedonic treadmill the tendency for humans to quickly return to a baseline level of happiness no matter what changes in our lives. That’s why chasing external things rarely satisfies us long term.

We don’t actually want the thing. We want what we think the thing will give us: validation, love, belonging, confidence, peace. But those don’t come from the outside they’re cultivated within.

Chasing isn’t always bad it can motivate us to grow. But here’s the catch: when you chase endlessly without asking why, you end up exhausted, broke, or stuck in a cycle of emptiness.

The next time you’re tempted to chase something, pause and ask yourself:

• Is this desire coming from a genuine need or from comparison?

• Will this actually add peace to my life, or just noise?

• Am I trying to fill an inner void with an external solution?

Because sometimes, the very thing you’re chasing is already in your life in a simpler form you just haven’t slowed down enough to notice it.