Keep Not Settling: Part III (The Full Circle)

This is the final entry in a three-part series focusing on the camping retreat I took a week ago. (I invite you to read Part One and Part Two to get an idea of the full experience!)

So far I have focused on how this weekend informed two principal ideas: my career and the concept of “being present” in everyday life. This third entry will give me space to look at the full circle effect I felt on the hiking trail when reflecting on how the people in my life and also my own decisions continue to influence me today.

I often feel trapped in a culture always looking for the next step. Forget the present-what are you going to do next to build upon it? How will this business move inform future career decisions? How will this degree help you get a better job? How will this ACT score get you into a better school? Everything is future-oriented. Which isn’t always bad (planning ahead is a very useful concept), but I think sometimes it can be overused.

When we get so caught-up in the future, it seems like we are always trying to “re-invent” ourselves into a better, updated, 2.0 version. Who I am now is great-but just wait five years and see what I will have accomplished. The present is never good enough, there is always one more promotion, a better apartment, a more rewarding career path. I have fallen susceptible to this way of thinking: I am moving to France next year. Talk about new and challenging and some serious reinventing!

It is exciting to take on this new challenge, to “never settle” and always keep pushing myself. But that doesn’t mean I should rob the present of its importance. During my alone time on the hiking trails a week ago, I began to realize how much my past has informed me. And not just the people who have been in my lives and the relationships I’ve had, but also my past selves and what I have learned individually.

If we never take a chance to value the lessons that the present is giving us, or appreciate the people in our lives and where we are, it will be gone far too soon leaving nothing but a memory. I think we need to re-evaluate our focus and instead of always looking for the next step, take a more wholistic approach.

Do not start with a “blank sheet” but rather, turn the page. Don’t feel the need to always write a “new chapter,” but continue with the same story. Perhaps a less truncated version of our lives would not only be more fulfilling, but also allow us to connect the dots between our past selves, the beauty of the present, and the excitement of the future.

I still believe that I should “never settle,” but do so while remembering to invest in the present and all of the energy and amazing experiences it is offering me.