Step right up! Read all about it!
It’s the next big thing that awaits you. The carrot dangling in the distant future that will make your dreams come true.
It’s oh so close. Almost within your grasp. All you need to do is work harder. Work smarter. And once you achieve that dangling carrot, all will be well.
You will be complete beyond belief. And if you’re already feeling complete and sufficient, then you will feel MORE complete. More rich. More healthy. More well-being. More, more, more.
It’s always something more that you need to get in order to be fulfilled.
I’m no stranger to this phenomenon. At a young age, I was taught to get good grades in school. Be good at this system called education. And everything will work out well in the end.
In elementary school, I’d get triple A pluses on my reports and science projects. Junior high school was no different. And I eventually got into one of the premier high schools in New York City.
And the achievement all culminated in finally getting into an Ivy League Institution, Cornell University.
I had made it in life. Nothing but smooth sailing from here on out. I was going to be the next big thing. Until I slowly realized at Cornell that I was surrounded by a sea of geniuses.
And reality hit me like a cold hard shower. I was no longer the cream of the crop. I was no longer even considered average. I was struggling in courses as simple as Psychology 101.
I no longer felt like the next big thing. There didn’t seem like there was anything to do at that point. I was caught in a haze and unsure of what to make of my life.
What was my purpose? Why am I suddenly struggling with social anxiety? Why did this happen to me of all people?
Just more wondering. Unsure of what goals to set. What to be motivated about.
Just wishing that I hadn’t been in the Engineering School. And instead should’ve pursued another major that was more suitable to my skills. Life was no longer ideal.
Upon graduation, I was feeling lost and unsure of the next chapter in my book.
We are trained at a young age to be something when we grow up. In elementary school, there was always career day, where grown-ups would come to class and show us what it’s like to be a police officer, a fire fighter, a nurse, a lawyer, a doctor, you name it.
Then, we are put in a system that requires us to compete for good grades, which is dangerous because we can develop tunnel vision in simply achieving results. And not realizing the true purpose of the process itself.
We are always trying to get something. Whether it’s that new house. That attractive girlfriend or boyfriend. That new car. Some desirable promotion. A new title. All for achieving the next big thing.
We get and get and get until it’s time to retire, and then we don’t know what to do with all the things we’ve been getting.
We spend most of our lives thinking about the next best thing that will happen to us. And we don’t take a step back to see how our lives are like in the here and now.
That’s all we really have. That’s all we’ll ever really get. And this moment should be enough.
Of course, we still need to play the game called life and stimulate the economy. If we want that new Playstation 4, by all means go for it! Nothing wrong with wanting that shiny new object shown in the commercials.
No one is stopping you or holding you back. It’s just that we often times scramble around searching for treasures without uncovering the gems that we have within us all along.
We have everything that we’ll ever truly need. It’s important to be aware of that. Then, you can go on chasing that next big carrot without ever getting to attached to the game itself.
After all, it’s just a game. It’s played for fun, and there will be winners and losers. You can’t control that.
What you can control is your own awareness of the things around you. Just breathe, close your eyes, and relax. The gems will uncover themselves in due time.