Last week I realized I was experiencing a sensation, a feeling I hadn't felt in far too long. . . . Excitement! That butterflies-in-the-stomach, adrenaline-charged, wide-eyed sense of anticipation. It was an odd moment to not be able to recall the last time I'd felt that emotion.
As men in this push-and-shove culture, the stress of life—bills, insurance, budgets, deadlines, expectations, failures, let-downs—it amounts to becoming all too familiar with negative emotions. A sense of excitement and hope can become strangers to us. We throw around phrases like, “Yeah man, I’m pumped!”, “Stoked about this weekend!”, “Really fired up about working on that new project!” more often as patronized marketing rather than authentic exhilaration.
Last year I met the guy who owns the biggest, most popular Harley Davidson shop in Nashville. Some of his more well-known clients are Tim McGraw and Toby Keith. So I asked him if he could tell me his demographic sweet spot, the guy all the marketing efforts target, the guy who will actually walk in and drive out on one? He quickly answered, “Oh, yeah, it’s a 53-year-old, white, middle-to-upper class male. That’s my guy.” Then I asked him, “What’s your biggest marketing issue?” He answered, “The next generation of American males. How do I get them to want a Harley too?”
The next time you’re out driving around on a weekend, check out the average age of the guys you see riding Harleys. I think the marketing plan is working. White collar and tie on Friday, leather vest and bandana on Saturday—the bad boys from the ‘burbs.
Now, cashing in part of the 401k for weekend wheels isn’t a bad thing to do to try and create some enjoyment and live some life. Unfortunately, so many men create their own brand of excitement in the wrong way when life no longer seems to provide an opportunity for a little adrenaline.
When was the last time you got legitimately excited about an opportunity, event or a relationship? What does it take to excite you these days? What makes you lose sleep in a good way or wake up rarin’ to go because you just can’t wait for something?
If you have an answer, then the next question is, Is it a good thing, a positive thing? If your answer is like my own recent realization, and it’s hard to recall the last time you felt that way, let’s figure out what part of abundant we’re missing in life? What needs to be put in place to stop the life being sucked out? What needs to go to make time for what counts? What makes us live now and not die slowly?
This life is all about finding balance, and when we stop getting excited about living, it’s up to us to get with God and make a change—in the right way for the right reasons. And it’s likely more about where we’re walking than what we’re driving.
I came so {you} might have life, a great full life. —John 10:10b NLV
