Finding Contentment Beyond the "Millionaire" Dream
I want to talk to you today about feeling content in business, even when you haven't “made it.”
Often, even as Christian entrepreneurs, we become discontent and bitter when we see others around us succeed and we haven't hit our goals yet. If we were honest with each other, we're quite discontent with our God-first business lives. We're still driving that clunker, little to no money in savings, and still trying to figure out how we're going to reach "millionaire" status. And we cry out, “God, why haven't you brought me into the land of milk and honey yet?”
But the truth is that we've created our own discontentment. God wants to teach us the concept of contentment being an active pursuit of His presence and purpose in our business lives, offering a pathway to true satisfaction beyond worldly achievements.
My Cornell Let Down
When I graduated Cornell in 2003, the stopwatch started ticking. I had goals for a nice car, a big house, and other luxuries of the rich. I couldn't wait to get my entrepreneurial career started because, to me, that was the only way I was going to achieve my ambitious goals.
However, year after year, the “millionaire” status didn't show up, so I pressed in harder - new ventures, new partnerships, a change in strategy - anything so that I could finally rest and be satisfied with my life.
The self-imposed pressure to “make it big” after graduating from an Ivy League school - especially comparing myself to others in my same age group - created a true rat race along my entrepreneurial journey that left me dissatisfied, often disappointed, and always with a feeling of “I haven't made it...”
It was a cycle of endless striving, much like trying to fill a bottomless pit.
The Road to Freedom
It’s a common narrative among us Godpreneurs, isn’t it? In our pursuit of business success, we often find ourselves caught in a whirlwind of constant wanting, believing that the next achievement or acquisition will be the key to our contentment. But does that ever truly satisfy us?
Apostle Paul’s experience, as shared in Philippians 4:12-13, offers us profound insight:
"…I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."
Despite his imprisonment, Paul found true contentment not in his circumstances but through his unwavering focus on Christ. He teaches us that contentment is an active state of trust and dependence on Jesus, who empowers us beyond our natural capabilities.
Likewise, Ephesians 5:18 urges us,
"Be filled continually with the Holy Spirit."
This is not a one-time event but a daily pursuit of God’s presence and power in our business lives.
A Shift of Focus
As a Christ-centered business builder, how often do you seek fulfillment in the tangible markers of success rather than in your relationship with Jesus? It's time to shift your focus. Instead of adding more to your plates in the hope of finding satisfaction, seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is where true contentment lies – in living out your God-given purpose, empowered by His strength, not ours.
Finally, exactly 20 years after graduating college, the Lord gave me the wisdom to understand and apply true contentment into my entrepreneurial walk. I stopped listening to affirmations about money and possessions, and I settled into the power of Christ to satisfy my insatiable craving for success.
There's Victory in One Decision
Imagine a world of Godpreneurs who live and lead businesses not from a place of lack or desire for more but from a deep well of contentment in Christ.
Together, we can transform not just our own business lives but also the employees, contactors, and clients we serve in our respective marketplaces, reflecting the abundance of being content in Jesus above all else.