Whatever we chase, it’s NEVER enough

What does it mean to live an abundant life?

Lots of cars?

Lots of money?

Lots of followers on social media?

Lots of championships or awards?

Lots of (fill in the blank)?

There’s nothing wrong with having a lot or achieving a lot. If we’re honest, most of us would like to worry about money less, influence people more, and win the most.

But the truth is, most of us take it too far and build our lives around those things.

I think that’s where we get into trouble.

“This invitation to deny oneself is less about depriving the self, and more about disowning, or renouncing a relationship with the part of ourself that is not what God created us to be.” — Marilyn Vancil

So, what does it mean to live an abundant life? What if we had asked Michael Jackson, Elvis, Howard Hughes and Marilyn Monroe?

By all accounts, they lived it, right?

Yet, by all accounts, they were among the most miserable people who have ever walked the planet.

Here’s a brief video featuring two of the most successful men in our generation. No doubt THEY are living an abundant life. Or maybe not. Watch the clip to see for yourself.

Pretty telling, isn’t it?

So, what IS an abundant life? What is enough? When are WE enough?

I wrestle with those questions often. I’m constantly wondering if I’m on the right path. I’ve had countless conversations with my wife about what really matters.

And here’s what I’ve discovered.

It’s an inside job.

What do I mean? Here are some definitions I’ve jotted down for what it might look like to live “abundantly.”

•It’s a deep, abiding relationship with God and those closest to me.

•It’s asking questions instead of stating opinions.

•It’s igniting a flame for others to come alive.

•It’s seeking wisdom from others instead of hoping they’ll confirm our bias.

•It’s valuing people over their position.

•It’s being disciplined about where I place my attention. Not consumed with racing to “my next thing,” but totally present and engaged in “this thing.”

•It’s not constantly worrying about things I have no control over. It’s acting on the things I CAN control.

•It’s when we don’t allow what’s going on OUTSIDE of us to change what God has placed INSIDE of us.

Yet culture has programmed our brains to believe otherwise. We think what’s going on around us will change what’s going on inside of us.

So we hope that more is better. It’s not. It’s just more.

That’s the bad news. Now here’s some REALLY bad news:

The greater our achievements, the bigger the expectations become to do it again. But even better next time.

We pursue everything. Yet catch nothing.

If you’ve been feeling frustrated, envious, like you’re “not enough,” now might be a good time to pause in your day and reflect on these three questions:

What am I chasing?
Why am I chasing it?
Who am I becoming as a consequence of the chase?

An abundant life means we’re no longer chasing anything — we’re simply LIVING OUT the values we hold most dearly.

An abundant life means our inner architecture gives meaning and purpose to not what we do, but HOW we do it. And here’s the irony of living this way:

It fuels better performance.

It enhances our relationships.

It increases our fulfillment.

No matter what’s going on around us.

C.S. Lewis said it best:

“Put first things first and we get second things thrown in. Put second things first and we lose both first and second things.”

So maybe the question is not, what do I NEED to live an abundant life?

Maybe the better question is, who do I want to BE?

And the answer, as always, rests inside of you.

(Tim Kolodziej is the author of this piece and founder of EnspireU.com. When he’s not behind a laptop, he can be found inside a gym helping young athletes create their own unique future — one rep at a time. Click here to connect with him by email.)