What Is Your End Game?

Someone may have once told you that living as a human being simply isn’t enough and that you should strive to be a human doing. Many of us can fall into a pattern of existence where we simply go through the motions, not actively working toward something greater. While we may think that we have objectives, goals and aspirations, we could simply be running on a treadmill. We must consider what our end game might be.

What is the point of it all?

Consider this. A neighborhood dog leads a very happy life. He has a loving home and a loving family. All of his basic needs are met. And one of his favorite things to do is chasing cars. This becomes a big goal in his life, almost to the point of obsession. Day in and day out, he chases after the vehicles that drive down his street, never quite fast enough to keep up.

Then one day, through some miraculous stroke of luck, he actually catches up to a car. You’d think he’d be overjoyed. All of those days, months and years of dedication had finally paid off. There he is, sitting next to his prized catch. Now what? What is he going to do this car? What was the point of catching this car in the first place?

As silly as this little tale may sound, it’s really not that far off from the lives that many of us lead. We fall into the trap of “I’ll be happy when” thinking. We set these goals for ourselves, like finishing school. But what happens when you finally get that degree or diploma? You dangle the new carrot of finding a job. Then you dangle another carrot of getting married or buying your first home. And then what?

Oh, then it’s about saving for retirement, because that’s when you’ll be happy. That’s when you can forget about the schooling that you endured and leave the job that you worked so hard to attain and retain. The problem is that life is a lot more difficult to enjoy when you are hindered with the increased complications of old age. And even so, is your end game really about moving to some retirement village, surrounded by other elderly folk playing chess and reminiscing about the good old days?

No. I don’t think so.

And this is why it is more important than ever to focus on living a life with purpose. And living life on purpose. I want my life to mean something greater than itself and every step taken should be working toward that. I just have to figure out how to get there.