The next level

“Moving to the next level”. The phrase is pervasive. Used everywhere and all the time. Every organization and individual it seems is being urged to move to the next level. It is even the title of books and companies. The next level is always the one beyond our present level. The unstated assumption is that this level is not satisfactory. It is always the next level wherein lies success and happiness and fulfillment. Where we are now is to be unsuccessful and unfulfilled. Tantalizingly, it is always the level just above us, just beyond us that provides the rewards. And while there is much to admire about this constant striving; remember it is just that, a constant striving. Maybe we need to be concerned with this level. The here and the now. Where we are at this moment in time. Not some distant place or other time in the future. The single-minded obsession with the future fails to appreciate the present. Perhaps we need to attend to this level rather than the one always just beyond our grasp, being rather than becoming.