04 Nov Striving for a life of contentment

This story may sound familiar either because I tell it all the time, or because it sounds just like your story…  I was never the best at anything! However, because of that, I made sure I was never the worst at anything either.

See… for me as a kid, it wasn’t about being great… it was about not being picked last. Whether it was kickball, shuttle run or skateboarding, I would strive for good enough.  I knew the lingo and I understood enough to not be a “poser” but I actually was.

As I grew up, the gaps between what I could do and what I couldn’t became wider and wider.  That may be the cause of one of my biggest personal struggles in life… A lack of contentment with my circumstances.

Wait, how did I get from Kickball to Contentment?

I was never content in my young life.  At some different points of my youth,  I wanted to be a professional skateboarder, rollerblader and even BMX racer.  I rode my bike, board or blades all around the island and wanted more than anything to do it at a competitive level.  What would inevitably happen is I would get hurt, bored or hit a ceiling in my abilities and eventually lost interest.  This became a pattern with sports, collectibles  and hobbies that repeated itself over and over leading to much discontentment..

Fast forward to the present. I still struggle with discontentment.  I run a relatively successful (in the eyes of friends and colleagues) video business in one of the most difficult states in the country to succeed in any small business, yet I never seem to be satisfied with what we’re doing at Berad Studio.  Whether it’s trying to get more likes on Instagram, more shares on Facebook, more videos uploaded to YouTube or more clientele for our portfolio, I never seem to be happy with my progress or process.

I get so wrapped up in analytics and quantity, constantly comparing Berad to other companies or artists.  I get into a critical cycle of dissatisfaction with the work we do or the person I am.

That changes now!. I need to be more content in every circumstance, whether well fed or struggling for a paycheck.  I need to derive my contentment from a deeper internal place rather than external accolades or accomplishments.  For me, that kind of contentment can only come from a faith in a God that is control of my future, a faith in my wife and family who are committed to love and support me through all of life’s ups and downs and a faith that believes that amazing outcomes are what lie ahead.

Ultimate, unwavering contentment seems kind of like trying to bottle the wind, but I will faithfully strive towards it every single day!