Do you ever sit and question the meaning of everything you do? Reality can be overwhelming when you think of it in this context, but feeling anxious over what’s to come is to miss the point completely. Because it is the ‘right now’, the moment you’re living in, that matters. 

A lot of times we can get caught up in the process of reaching a goal that we miss the best part. The journey is what matters, whatever you’re a part of right now and will be a part of in the future, that is the gift. This concept can be confusing but it is largely responsible for the upswing of retired individuals looking to come back to the workforce.  

Most of us might see retirement as driving sports cars, mimosas every morning, and beaches, living off the fruits of our labour. A lot of the time, the reality is this; that life isn’t what you’re after. It may happen now and then but it isn’t the reason you’re studying or working. Instead of thinking about what you’re after, why not start thinking about how you can best impact what you’re doing now? The result of this will be an incredible reward down the line.

If you went to high school or college, consider the fact that the end goal is a piece of paper that says you were there. Now, does that piece of paper represent your experience in any way? Absolutely not, it’s the lessons you learn, the challenges you face, the people you meet, the pep rallies, the cool teacher or the witty professor. To neglect the process of doing takes all joy out of the reward. 

Imagine someone right now hands you a limitless supply of money. You’d have a lot of fun with it for a while but eventually, you’d hit a wall, and for some that wall would be a lack of purpose. This is not meant to be intimidating— this message is simply meant to give you insight into reality. Remember, what you do as a career will be where you spend the majority of your life. To maximize the value of this experience, take some of these points into consideration:

Recognize Your Value

Getting caught up in the “me mentality” will cloud your view of the value you could be providing others. Say for example you work a part-time job and have regular customers. While those people may just be part of your daily routine, you could be the interaction in their day that they look forward to the most. It’s hard to understand this when we’re caught up in our own lives, but a pivotal part of “the process” is how you affect others. 

Control What You Can 

You have a very finite amount of things going on that you can dictate the outcomes of. However, there will still be things outside this scope that cause you stress. Why would they cause you to stress if you can’t control them? Because most of us still choose to believe we can control them. But these things are black holes when it comes to focusing energy. If you take the time to pay attention solely to the issues you can control, you will be a lot more confident when dealing with problems.  

Define What You Want

Have you ever asked someone what their dream job is and it’s something radically different than what they’re currently doing? This is a result of not identifying what it is you want long term. Some things speak to us, fields of interest which we would do for free, never mind making it a career. That is passion, and if it’s something that benefits your happiness then why wouldn’t you want to keep it in your life? 

Unfortunately, the common saying is “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”. But this statement is not true when it comes to planning your long-term goals. Believing it will keep you below your potential because if you commit enough effort to anything, you can succeed.

Set an Example

What’s more valuable than having a successful career that you enjoy? Imagine leaving a legacy that inspires the next generation, innovating the industry, or contributing something that will be relevant even after you’ve left it. We all have opinions on how things are done, but too often we talk about it rather than go out and implement what we know is right. 

Conclusion

Now, some people will read this and think “I remember when I used to believe anything was possible” or “yeah but this doesn’t apply to x, y or z in my life”. Thinking like that is what this idea is arguing against. Essentially, all action taken today whether in the workplace or not is directly correlated to a future result. 

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