We are busy people. We wear our busyness on our chest like a badge of honor. Smalltalk often starts with a question related to busyness. We are so busy doing we rarely take time to consider being.
I have heard the phrase, “we’re human beings, not human doings.” However, it is most often our doings that lead to what gets us noticed. For example, the outward expression of an artist’s work catches the public eye, as does the music that a talented musician produces. So it’s no wonder we all strive to do more. We want to be noticed and appreciated for what we “do.”
Why is it that the “being” gets ignored? Probably because it’s not easily measurable. We are bombarded by requests for attention, from our jobs to smartphones and everything in between. Everything needs attention, and we are always notified of how much is still left to do.
Eventually, we get to a point where something needs to change because we have lost ourselves. We can’t live in a place of doing forever. As human beings, we are more than the collective sum of our output. We were created to be more than that. When doing is all we make time for, it doesn’t feel right. Deep inside, we know it.
We start to search for meaning by doing something different. Meaning, however, is found in being, not doing. Sure we can find fulfillment in the doing, but it can’t replace having a sense of being. To be fulfilled in outward expression, it must go deeper than the external result. The external result must resonate with your being.
This is starting to sound woo-woo, so let me land the plane:
To find fulfillment in the areas of doing in your life, such as your work, relationships, hobbies, and more, you must be content with your being. So many of us keep busy because we are not satisfied with ourselves. We don’t like being idle because that causes us to wrestle with our thoughts. You must get beyond that.
True fulfillment comes when the outward expression is driven from a place of internal contentment.
Internal contentment takes work. It takes being before you get to the doing.
It’s hard work, which is why so few attempt it. But if you’re reading this, you already know that. So get started!