Don't Ever Settle

I was walking out of church the other day when something different happened.

After service, one of the other members came up to me like he usually does.

He’s an older guy who’s taken an interest in my life for some odd reason. And he’s always giving me advice and words of encouragement.

What’s crazy is that the things he says and the timing of his words are always on point. He’s told me things that no one would know unless they could read my mind. It’s like God uses him to tell me exactly how to deal with whatever I’m going through at the time.

But anyway, it wasn’t just a kind word this time around. After service, he came up to me, grabbed hold of my shoulders, and looked me dead in the eyes. Then he told me that he had a message I needed to hear. And the accuracy of his prior statements gave me no reason to doubt him.

He told me, “DO NOT SETTLE.”

He said that no matter what anyone told me, I could not settle. He said there were great things in store for me, but in order to receive whatever that was, settling was the one thing I couldn’t do.

And as soon as those words left his lips, I knew exactly what he was talking about.

My production for HFE had slowed. I had relaxed during my “free time”. I was content with taking a break and saving the work for later.

He knew nothing about this site, but his words gave me the jumpstart I needed. Because I wasn’t just being lazy either.

He didn’t know that I received some advice from older coworkers a few days earlier. They were talking about how the workplace was changing for the worse and about all the stress and uncertainty I had to look forward to in my career. They told me to savor my youthful memories because it would pretty much be downhill from there.

Look, I’m all for respecting my elders, and I believe those guys were really trying to help, but none of that sat well with me at all.

I’ve always hated that mindset. I hate when people say that college is the best four years of your life.

If that’s true for you, you’re living a life I want no part of. I have no interest in looking to the past like that.

I’m grateful for all that’s been done for me and I’ve learned a lot from the past.

But I refuse to live there.

I believe my future will be greater than that.

The Normal Life

Most people have such a linear view of life. And it usually goes something like this:

Party while you’re young
Finish school
Get a 9 to 5
Complain about your 9 to 5
Save up big to retire happy

Please don’t tell me I’m the only one who thinks that sounds incredibly boring.

I always hear people talking like they won’t enjoy life until they finally retire. They kill themselves trying to climb a corporate ladder just for a chance to live life when they’re washed up.

I get so angry thinking about that. There has to be more than that. I haven’t been given all the skills I have just to do that.

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about working a job. I viewed each job I had as a gift and I strived to do my best at all of them.

But you can’t tell me that your job fully aligns with your purpose. You can’t tell me that typing in spreadsheets is all you’re meant to do.

When I look back on my life, I realize that its best moments happened when I did more than what was required:

I couldn’t just play ball for my school, I sacrificed multiple summers to be at my best.
I couldn’t just experience a change in my life, I had to write about it.
Even with something as silly as videogames, I still went the extra mile.

I’ve always had to do more.

Now does that make me greedy? Does that mean I’m not content?

Of course not.

I’m content with what I have, I just don’t want to settle for less than what I’m capable of.

Contentment is having peace in the fact that you have everything you need. And unless you’re starving, homeless, or naked, there’s no reason to not be content.

All my needs are met. That’s why it’s easy for me not to settle. I don’t have to worry about what I’m going to eat or where I’ll lay my head at night. I can focus on the mission instead.

With Great Power…

I saw a movie the other day where one of the characters was discussing a similar problem—it was a problem of responsibility.

At one point, another character asked him why he helped others even though it put his life in danger. And when he heard that, he said that when bad things happen to others, and you had the power to help them, it’s your fault.

And as cheesy as that sounds, it’s exactly how I feel sometimes. It’s not a matter of what I want to do. It’s about what I need to do.

That’s why I come home from work and write. That’s why I spend my free time building.

Inequality is a big buzzword nowadays, but I’m pretty sure everyone gets the same 24 hours. “I don’t have time” isn’t an excuse.

You have to make time for what you need to do. Life is too short to do otherwise.

What you start today could help others for years to come. They need you right now and you don’t even know it. But you can’t see that you’re the only one standing in the way.

All it takes is a choice on your end.

It doesn’t have to be something big or flashy. Not all of us are meant to do the grandest things. No one’s asking you to be Superman.

But please, don’t ever settle.

-Drew