Besides living out each season of life, there is the process of moving through these seasons. Within these layers, there is the motion of life that we all go through. The first layer leads you to the second one, and the second to the third. That being said, there are three significant layers to your life and how you live in them dictates how you perceive your current circumstances and even your future layers of life.
There are three layers to life and here is what each layer looks like:
The Pursuit – Like the cops in a car chase going after the bad guys in an action flick, maybe you are pursuing your biggest dreams with all you have, giving it your best Dukes of Hazard style. These are those moments in life where you will do anything to reach goals, even if it’s at 2am when you have to wake up at 5am, so you can make it to your day job on time. I am convinced that this is the most frustrating time in life. It feels like people and your job are pulling you in 100 different directions, not to mention all of the different things you need to do in the middle of the night, so that you can reach your biggest dreams.
It can be draining, demotivating, and mind-boggling, but it can also be rewarding. I am a firm believer that life is what you make it, including the process of the pursuit. One of the first things that can suffer within your pursuits are the the things you hold most dear, like your family and other loved ones. The pursuit was never meant to make people suffer. Your pursuit is always meant to bless others. The only point for your pursuit is to make a difference in the lives of others. Set up your pursuit in a way that impacts more people in a positive way, rather than sucking the life out of your relationships.
Tip: Make a realistic timeline and deadline for yourself to reach your biggest dreams, while including your most important obligations first along the way.
Satisfaction and Contentment – Once you are able to reach these dreams you have been chasing for so long, there is a feeling of satisfaction and contentment. Everyone is wired differently. Some choose to dwell here in this contentment and is okay to stay there and then some want more, more, more. My point I want to make here is the difference between wanting more and the need to steward well with what you already have. I believe people have forgotten just how important it is to do well with what you already have. People need to continuously want more. You can go ahead and do well with what you already have in your possession. If your first reaction is to keep going after more, you can and will miss the true meaning of life. When you aren’t concentrating on the next big thing, it allows you to step back and see the need of those around you.
Tip: Pause long enough to see the needs of those around you. You already have enough in your possession to make a difference. You just need to go and do.
Fulfillment – Once someone has been working in this satisfaction and contentment for quite some time, there is a fulfillment that comes along with it. But, it directly ties into doing things for others, not pursing more things and the pursuit of one’s self. The pursuit of more is an empty journey, that can only be filled with something of more substance. That’s where fulfillment comes from. I’m sorry to inform you that this fulfillment can’t be found in yourself or your accomplishments. This fulfillment can only come from a relationship with Jesus and creating lasting relationships with people. As previously discussed in another episode, the only reason to pour into yourself is to then pour into the lives of others.
Tip: Find fulfillment in things that last, not the things in life that waver.
You know, I think about this life a lot, including successes and mistakes. I think about both to learn from them and pull out the things I want to repeat in the future. The pursuit is filled with wins and losses that we need to take the time to learn from. When you do this, the pursuit becomes an even more important part of life. It’s not only the layer of life where the action happens, but it’s also where you will pull away the most life lessons. The next season of satisfaction is more about working with what you already have and making people better with it, including yourself. The last layer of fulfillment is found in the source of it all.
No matter where you are at, you can steward well in your current layer of life, today.