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How To Stop Feeling Dissatisfied With Your Life

You are okay. Okay?

Tom Kuegler
3 min readDec 22, 2020
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

“Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s a billboard on the side of the road that screams with reassurance that whatever you’re doing, it’s okay. You are okay.”

-Don Draper, Mad Men

The above quote is about advertising. Deeper, though, it highlights something all humans need..

The need to feel okay.

During most of 2020, I didn’t feel okay.

I felt inadequate. I felt like I needed to be doing more. I needed to make more money, be a better boyfriend, have more friends, not get angry on Facebook, and — well — I’ll stop there since it’s a long list.

The truth is I didn’t even have a hard 2020. I made a good bit of money online, I had a nice place to stay, and I never went hungry. I even donated a bit of money to those in need. I still felt inadequate, though.

There’s a desire in many of us to always want more. To want to do more. Make more money. Be with a more beautiful person. To walk into a room and command attention.

“You are okay” is not me talking about body positivity or anything like that.

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Tom Kuegler
Tom Kuegler

Written by Tom Kuegler

Travel blogger. 30 years old. Currently in Mexico. Subscribe to my Substack: https://mindofawriter.substack.com/

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