What is something that you have now, that a one time, was all you wanted?
Seven years ago, I vividly remember reflecting on what had been my first successful year as a sales manager. Nearly a year prior, I made the decision to move from my hometown of Cincinnati, OH to Lexington, KY; it’s only a 90-minute drive, but this was a big step for me. My first real step out into the ‘real world,’ and I was making it work on my own. I remember feeling proud of myself for the hard work I had put into the start of my career, but quickly began thinking about what I wanted next. We all do that too often, don’t we? “Need to have it, go after it, get it. Great, what’s next?” Nothing is inherently wrong with this. I believe we should all be constantly striving for growth, improvement, and achievement in our lives. Matthew McConaughey beautifully illustrated this during a popular speech as “chasing the best version of yourself.” The opposite— entitlement, laziness, contentment— is, in my opinion, the greatest driver of anxiety and unhappiness in our lives. It is what will plague our society if it continues to spread throughout it. However, my objective is to live as much as possible in a healthy balance between deep gratitude for what I have, where I am now, and where I want to go.
Back to my reflection time in Lexington. At one point, “all I wanted” was a successful business that allowed me to pay my bills, win company trips, and save money. I was happy to be achieving those things, but looking back, I could have certainly been more present to it.
After thinking over what I wanted next, I prayed for a loving relationship. I realized that this was the one thing missing, and so I prayed for someone to marry. As I write this blog, she’s sitting ten feet from me in our living room, holding our beautiful baby girl. We’ve all heard to be grateful for what we have, but I think asking yourself this question is the most powerful way to look at it. It reminds me not to take specific things and/or people for granted. You can’t ask yourself this question, truly reflect on it, and come up empty. In other words, all of us have been blessed in our lives with things that deserve our attention; things that are worth our gratitude. You also cannot ask yourself this question every day in exactly the same way, because it will likely lose its power. But, maybe every few months? At a bare minimum, once a year as you set out to achieve your New Year’s Resolution. The answers may change over time, or may just be the perspective shift you need.
So, start right now by considering, “what is one thing you have now, that used to be all you wanted?”
Keep pushing and striving for your next big goal, but don’t miss be present to these blessings along the way.
Another example to close this out… At one time, “all I wanted” was to become a published author and speaker who used his gifts to spread the message detailed in the interview below. The topic, of course, is the power of connecting with the special needs and disabled communities. Check out the conversation below for more.
