Contentment is the True Goal in Your Professional Journey

Hear me out, contentment is a good thing...

Years ago if you would have asked me if that was a true statement, I would have told you absolutely not. But as I've matured both personally and professionally, and sought counsel from those I identify as mentors in my life, I've come to understand that contentment is the perfect mindset to be rooted in.

Let me paint the picture for you. ..

When it came to navigating my professional journey and climbing the corporate ladder per-say, I would easily describe myself as having a "go-getter mentality" -- I want it all, I don't mind working for it and I will exhaust any and every opportunity to get to where I needed to be. The problem with the part I bolded is that: 1) reading that back literally sounds like stress and 2) I had no idea what I was chasing and couldn't define to myself or anyone else "where I needed to be." During that time in my professional career, I thought being tired and exhausted was a good thing. I thought that having those feelings meant that I was getting that much closer to my goals and aspirations. Being content was out of the question, I needed to work day and night to prove to everyone else that I deserved the next opportunity -- period.

Now that the picture has been painted, here's what I thought contentment meant...

It's always easy to look in retrospect and nitpick at some of the things you did wrong and ask yourself "what was I thinking." But if I had to be honest with myself, I had the wrong definition and interpretation of what contentment was. I thought contentment was something negative. I believed that if I was content and happy in a role that I had then it was time to move up or move on. I would reach those milestones in my career (2 years or 5 years employed) or receive accolades that some of us seek (Forbes 30 Under 30), and would sit and contemplate on what's next for me. I loved my position, I loved the work that I was doing and the people I worked for and with -- but none of that mattered to me because I was conditioned to think that you must re-evaluate where you are once those milestones or accolades came. Now, I do think there is a time in your professional journey when you should re-evaluate where you are, but I let the milestones and accolades (aka the noise) trump the fact that I was honestly happy and content in what I was doing. Not only was I content in my role, but I also had a TON to still learn.

I was confusing contentment with complacency, they're not the same...

"I also had a TON to still learn." At the time I didn't realize that. The milestones, the achievements, the recognition -- it can really put you in a place where you think you got it all and know it all. Those honors made me think that I was ready for the next position and the natural progression of moving up the corporate ladder (coordinator to manager, manager to senior manager, senior manager to director, etc.) Why was I so eager to move up and on? I'm glad you asked. I assumed that because I was content in what I did, I was being complacent -- boy was I wrong. It's very, very easy to blur contentment with complacency, so I'll try my best to explain the huge difference between the two. Contentment, as it relates to your professional career, can be defined as peace and satisfaction in what you do. Complacency, simply put, is laziness -- it's being unaware of your deficiencies. Peace and satisfaction in what you do in your job sounds a lot like being comfortable -- but it's not. You can have peace and satisfaction in a role, all while being aware of areas you need to work on and taking the steps to overcome those weaknesses -- make sense? You should want to love what you do, enjoy coming to work, and be happy to work alongside some of the best and brightest. What you don't want is the crippling trait of becoming complacent in that and wallowing in your comfortability. In other words, be content but motivated and driven as well.

Here's the bowtie on the story, contentment is the goal...

As I navigated my professional journey and started to block out the noise and really sit back and think about what Dior wanted, I had an epiphany. I love what I do. In my role I have the ability to still be a "go-getter" and affect change, I can help people and walk in my purpose. To sum it up, I'm happy in what I do, while continuing to work hard to improve. I needed to get rid of the desire for more. I didn't need more to be fulfilled. That mindset led me down a dark path of stress and pressure -- pressure that I put on myself. The goal I was chasing all along, I had. The mountain I was climbing to get to where I needed to be, I was there all along. There are new challenges and weaknesses you can overcome right where you are today.

So, if you don't get anything else from what I wrote, I hope you get this -- contentment is the true goal. Older, wiser, well-experienced people get that, but what a blessing it would be to understand that early in your career. Scott Miker explained it best: "The key to being happy is to realize that you have what you need and become content. But the key to success is to be constantly improving and to never become complacent."

Contentment isn't the enemy of progress, complacency is. Contentment is joy, contentment is the true goal.