Do you ever feel restless?
You know what I mean don’t you? You are a doer. You have a ton going on. But you still have a yearning that you can’t quite put your finger on. This is the restlessness I am referring to. Not the kind where you just can’t sleep. The kind you can only experience if you are someone with a powerful desire to do things of substance and meaning.
What is this? I believe I have an answer for you…and I also think you might not like it!
I believe this is a gap that exists between your current level of satisfaction with the impact you are making in the world and the impact you believe you CAN make. You might be thinking “well that makes sense and that’s not so bad!” Yes, but. Oh man…a yes, but. I hate the yes, but.
Here’s the issue…this gap never closes. Regardless of the impact and contribution you make. Huh? Yes, I know…sort of a head scratcher at first. But not really once you get it.
The reason the gap can’t close is quite simple. You are someone who cares about making an impact. You are not focused on purely living as someone who consumes on this planet. It’s not about how much you can acquire. Because you know that stuff, while nice, is still just stuff. It has little meaning. You…are a contributor. So, back to the revelation…people who strive to make an impact are constantly growing and that is in fact a big part of the expanding contribution they make, but the issue with growth, is that the more you grow, the more you understand how much more you can grow. It’s sort of like the smarter you get, the more you realize how little you actually know!
The gap cannot shrink. The more you become the more you understand what is possible and how much more there can be from you. In fact the gap is actually widening! Holy cow! Restlessness is the destiny of a doer?
No, it is just a symptom of a doer. There can be peace in restlessness, once we come to grip with the fact that it is always hanging around. Sometimes we don’t really notice it and sometimes we do. But it is always there for the self-aware doer.
In my most recently published book on Leadership in the Networking Industry, I talk about a concept called “patient frustration.” This is in the same world as the restlessness that I am talking about here. Frustration only comes from something you are doing that you care a lot about. Because as a doer, you will never be satisfied with the state of it. You KNOW it can always get better. So you have to be patient in the frustration and understand that it (the frustration) is a valuable thing.
And so is your restlessness. It let’s you know that you are alive. That there is more for you to do to make the incredible contribution that only you can make. Cherish it. And see it for what it is.
A BIG Part of what drives you.
