Is content or context more important in life?

What is more important in your life: the content or the context? Did you ask yourself such a question?

I know everyone has a hectic life and we are all consumed by our daily activities. However, it is essential to take some time just for ourselves to come up with an answer.

Throughout my life, I have been in many situations where I had to choose between content and context. Have I made that choice consciously in the past? Almost certainly not, most of the time for me was just a gut feeling. For a better understanding, one common example that comes to my mind is what you say versus how you say it.

For a long time, I was focusing more on the content and not on the context. One of my previous bosses taught me a good lesson (which I am grateful for) and made me realize how the context has more significance than the content. For sure, at one point in your career, you also had to deliver a tough or unpleasant message. How you delivered it made the difference in how the other person received it. My point here is, often, the content is given, or it does not change, while the context is your choice.

This concept applies to every aspect of your life. Unfortunately, you set your goals (content) without thoroughly thinking about why you set them (context). By shifting your focus from content to context will definitely change the quality of your life.

In a recent conversation I had, a young man expressed his regrets for choosing his current industry’s career over another. First, I explained he should not have regrets because, at that point in time, he made the best decision. Second, it is just a matter of one’s perspective and experience. Different people can do the same job, but each of them may have very different experiences. One may feel that he makes a difference, while another one may feel it is just a job and helps him in making end meets.

I want you to know that the power lies within you. Whatever you decide to do in life, make sure you are also choosing the context. Why? Because you decide what to experience. If you are joyful, you will have pleasant experiences, and if you are unhappy, then you will feel miserable. 

Choosing consciously how you want to feel is crucial, because it will dictate the quality of your life and the lives of others around you. Moreover, always remember that you spread around how you feel. If you feel lovely, you spread love, if you are unhappy, you spread misery. Which one do you want to be?