Kyle Luetters breaks down the tug of war that goes on between living in the moment and planning for excellent success in the future.
There are times that I catch myself on either – or both – ends of a tug of war rope.
That is incredibly frustrating, you know?
Here is some back ground for you:
I clearly remember my teachers and instructors all throughout my educational years instilling ambition, drive and an attitude of “never quit” in to me.
“Blast through barriers!”
“Never slow down!”
“DO NOT stop until you reach the top!”
Excellent propaganda, right?
I thought it was. So I ran with it, leaving behind a path of partially fulfilled promises, uncompleted projects, broken relationships and an air borne piece of live stock or two. Ok, that last part was a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture.
The positive takeaway was that I achieved a great deal of success in a short period of time.
So, with this momentum, I plowed head-on into the “real world.”
Guess what I got told upon arrival?
“Young man, you need to be patient and content.”
What?
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Yes, I was told to wait for tenure to allow for a bigger paycheck and promotions at work. Wait for major life events like marriage, a home and kids. Be patient and content, they all said.
I was/am left with no choice but to slow down and simply “exist.”
And so it goes folks, the battle between pursuing and contentment. The tug-of-war.
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I was recently sitting with my Bible study group and we were having an excellent discussion about where we were all at in our lives. This group is an excellent melting pot of different ages, career tracks, lifestyles and more. If Gallup wanted an excellent polling group, we’d be it.
We carried on about how it is prudent to appreciate our current season in life. No matter where we were along the path of life, we must be content. We discussed how it is vital to appreciate living in the moment and how it is a much wiser idea than continuing to chase the potential of the future, 24/7.
It is an idea that resonated with me. It kind of has for a while now. The simple belief of just enjoying life as it is now and not worrying about what will happen in the future. I have to admit, I greatly enjoy the thought of this.
On the drive home though, I spoke with someone who once again asked me what I was doing to pursue my dreams. That question was followed by a pep talk to get me amped up about chasing the future again.
So in just a few hours, I had experienced both ends of the rope; each one with signifigant pull on its respective end.
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I think it’s often difficult for people (younger, single ones especially) to balance this complicated issue.
On the one hand, we should be happy with what we have and allow life to happen to us. On the other, we are challenged to not be lazy and actually be doing something. We are constantly presented with examples of people that make six plus figures, have .06% body fat and have six degrees. We should be all out like these people, shouldn’t we?
We all fight a battle to remain content yet still achieve things. We all wrestle with how much is too much. How much is too little?
How do we solve it?
I don’t really have the magical, cure-all answer. I’m still grappling with this myself.
What I did figure out though, was this; enjoy the season in life but make small goals for daily growth. Read a book in your field or for fun. Take a community college class in something you enjoy (or think you may enjoy.) These little things can be a great stepping-stone to when you do find something that, whether by yours or someone else’s choice, requires you to step up and actively pursue something.
I really think the key is having the game plan to be a little bit better each day. It allows you to be content and enjoy your life without being so consumed with trying to achieve everything at all costs that you miss out on the moment that you are living in. What’s that old saying?
“Don’t be looking so far forward that you trip over your next step?”
Who knows what may happen in the future or where unforeseen opportunities will lead you? You might as well enjoy the life you live now, the friends and family you have, your current job and every small thing that will enhance this current season of life.
On the opposite end of that rope though, prepare yourself to chase that big, all encompassing dream.
See, it’s still a tug of war.
An it’s still hard to tell which end I should be on.
Photo: toffehoff/flickr