The new American dream is killing those it consumes.

Mentally and physically the culture shift that has been occurring over the past several decades is slowly but surely ravaging its victims in unrest and ambition. The entrepreneurial spirit has infected the hearts and minds of the modern day American and is subsequently being worshiped at an altar made of dollar bills and dreams. An entrepreneur seeks to find a solution to a problem, noble in its simplicity and innocence. However, this is not the reality in which we are currently thriving; entrepreneurialism has become an engine for unrest, a term morphed into the desperation to constantly improve. Those looking to participate are increasing at an alarming rate. It has been recorded that about 48 percent of Americans have entrepreneurial aspirations in starting and maintaining a small business of their own. At first glance, this proves no qualm. Although, as a society, we are becoming conditioned to fall to our knees in the presence of the enticing aura that is the Average Joe's growing multi-billion dollar startup. An almost gluttonous nature has begun to empower entrepreneurs in a way that goes beyond simple ambition. The fervor and initiative may supposedly solve the untouchable problems in our world, however, an overly entrepreneurial mindset is leading to the vast deterioration of health. Successful entrepreneurs are famous for long nights, missed social opportunities, and attempting to tackle an insurmountable level of work in order to fulfill their vision; they become fixated on the end result and will do just about anything, healthy or unhealthy, in order to get there.

This obsession with advancement, both personal and cultural, is driving health straight into the ground - six feet under. Stress in America has been reported within the last year to be at a level that is deemed extremely unhealthy; stress is intensifying as internal dissatisfaction is striven to be fulfilled. Success is defined by the business you create for yourself, nay, the business your life becomes. The problems you solve in the most extravagant and innovative manner will supposedly win you whatever fills the emptiness and silences the nagging voices that whisper your inadequacies while you try to sleep at night. We are living in a culture where rest is viewed as a polite suggestion, unfortunately, making “sleeping when you're dead” not that far off. About half of the American population is reported to have a repeated, insufficient amount of sleep. This continuation of sleep deprivation can lead to depression, heart disease, stroke, and even premature death.

Is it all worth it? Is the obsession with satisfying that need worth neglected relationships, compromised mental and physical health, and a bleak financial future? Consider the options: detrimental disappointment if goals are not met and/or a lingering sense of dissatisfaction even when things go as planned, as there is always something to improve upon. At the very end of the day when we are lying in bed, all people want to feel the same things: happiness, peace, and fulfillment. Well, my friends, I am a firm believer that this is as simple as making a choice to exist in such a manner; the pit currently consuming your stomach could dissipate with a flip of the switch in your overstimulated head cavity. So, why don’t we stop waiting to receive happiness from our best efforts? The manic entrepreneur finds his self-worth in the ideas he executes and the solutions he thinks will suffice. However, what if we chose to be content now and find fulfillment now in who we are and what we have? The preexistence of happiness will leave everything else achieved as magnificent blessings. I think we can all agree when the Bible says, “ For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.” Our works will ultimately amount to nothing; what will matter is how we chose to feel as we plowed forward with our lives. Focus is skewed, distraction is great, and happiness is attainable. In the end, it is up to you to decide what level ambition quiets and contentment fulfills.