#MIT (Meaningful InTime)
“To much television watching got me chasing dreams”
— Coolio
No, this is not a story about a hardened by life, found the light, come to Jesus story. This is actually a story of success….an aspirational tale of what we hope that our kids and our lives may become…while a story of success, it is also a story that even the most successful ponder and worry about the highest thoughts of fulfillment, destiny, and purpose. It is a story about time and discovery versus meaning and maintenance.
This is the Jarrett Carter Story!
(By the way, I know in the third story in this publication I said I would stop with the E-True Hollywood Story voice or at least my written representation of it — yes I am claiming it is a parody for purposes of a Copyright Law — but it works, I love it, it is staying for now).
So, again — This is the Jarrett Carter Story!
This piece is a bit different. Instead of starting at the beginning, we are going start at the end — because quite honestly, sometimes a story is so good you can’t wait to get to the end…and why should you!
Final words, but the beginning of the story — Jarrett Carter
As the interviewed with Jarrett Carter drew to a close — Our Time, asked if there were any final thoughts, words, or vibe-age he wish to say to our readers. Without missing a beat but only after a perfectly placed pause, allowing for the simple but profound opportunity the question presented to sink in, Jarrett responded:
“As much as we are speaking we need to listen. If not it is like being a crowded restaurant where you can’t hear the person across the table speaking.”
Listen more than you speak. Listen intently. Speak purposefully.
So what led to these signing-off words? We asked Mr. Carter, as we have all Our Time featured persons — “what is your life’s purpose? Are you living it? Why or why not?”
From there we let the conversation naturally unfold.
Jarrett’s response, “Am I building a life that I want?” What this translates too is — am I spending my time on earth in a meaningful way.
In short, Jarrett wishes to reach the end of his life to answer boldly to the question “when I get to the end of my life I will not if I die today, what ideas, what dreams, what talents, what gifts will die with me?….”
NONE!
Graduated college with a bachelor’s of arts in…well you can LinkedIn him.. Moved into graduate school to obtain a masters of arts in see statement above. (It’s 2020 for goodness sake… you can do some of the work). Land the job, buy a house, purchased the car. Now here is Jarrett at 29, having obtained the Gatsby orgastic dream .
Like the words of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise “too much television watching got [him] chasing dreams.” Jarrett studied hard, worked harder, persisted and persevered. Hard-work, good luck, and a heaping of blessings — Jarrett not only chased the American dream…but in large part fulfilled it!
What more can any one ask for from life?
Meaning, purpose, and impact.
As Jarrett approaches 30, the one thought that interrupts his work flow; the one thought that occasionally wakes him up at night; the one thought that runs through his mind, in his own words is:
“ As I approach my 30s, I don’t know if I am living my purpose. I feel that I a m closer than I was five years ago but I am still trying to find out.”
Jarrett’s story is the story of millennials. While not a story of continued object struggle, strife, and grief it is a story of the the struggle of hope, purpose, and meaning. Chasing the American dream and finding objective achievement, comes with its own perils. In the words of Jarrett Carter: “[t]he longer you invest in something the harder it is to divest from it.”
Final, final words from Jarrett Carter and Our Time
“Life is all about choices, and our choices have consequences. And sometimes those choices don’t become clear until you are much further down the line.”
— Jarrett Carter
Before you go chasing television dreams by Coolio’s hook or crook; by good ole fashion hard-work, good luck and prayer like Jarrett Carter; or by hope and dumb luck — take a moment to think about where you want to go, how it will feel and what you hope it will look like. So when you arrive, you can be sure you are building a life and journeying a path to a destination you want to reach.
While achieving success is wonderful being vigilant of your purpose is essential. Perhaps, Jarrett’s purpose lies in his response to the question” what is your hope for the future?”
“Social media has done a good job of telling our story but we must continue to have meaningful platforms that allow us to have tough conversation”
— Jarrett Carter
While seeking too ensure he lives and fulfills a meaningful life during his life’s lifetime, Jarrett Carter could be the next Zuckerberg that builds the next platform for the ages!
This is Our Time saying to my millennial compatriots stay driven, stay hungry, stay searching and find meaning!
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