The Next Level of What? (The Friday Ficks S6 E40)

Social media is littered with promises to take you to the “next level.”

But what is the next level? And what comes after that?

I was thinking about this recently while walking down a jetbridge to board a flight. The airline had lined the walls with motivational posters. One caught my attention: “You’re one step closer to having it all together.”

One step closer? To having it all together simply by boarding a plane?

I chuckled. Then I remembered a former work colleague who had an interesting system for prioritizing work for his administrative assistant.

Every assignment came with a sticky note, emblazoned with “RUSH” in all caps and enumerated:

“RUSH #1”

Then another: “RUSH #2.”

Then #’s 3, 4 and 5. I once counted 12 “RUSH” assignments on the admin’s desk.

At some point, I wondered: if everything is a rush, does “rush” mean anything anymore?

Maybe “next level” suffers from the same problem.

If you are always pursuing some undefined level beyond the one you occupy now, when do you ever arrive?

And if “having it all together” is the destination, what exactly does that look like?

Life rarely cooperates with such tidy definitions. There will always be another challenge, opportunity, responsibility or imperfection.

Maybe the goal isn't to have it all together.

Maybe the goal is to know what matters now, and to give it your full attention.

So the next time someone promises to take you to the “next level,” ask: “What does that mean, specifically?”

And if someone tells you that you're one step closer to “having it all together,” ask: “Together enough for what?”

Because “next level,” “rush,” and “having it all together” risk becoming little more than motivational wallpaper when they aren’t attached to something meaningful.

Don't confuse movement with progress. Know where you're going.

Own the day. Own the weekend.

Carl