photo credit: www.daleargot.com
How badly do you want it? And on that note…what is the “it” in your life at the moment?
Your purpose is out there somewhere, but are you willing to find it? Remember, pain is your compass.
Moreover, have you decided on the front end to remain resilient no matter the cost? Desire is not something that can be taught. Perseverance is the gateway to passion. Once you have found your passion, you will find that you are living in the center of your purpose.
I love this quote taken from Randy Pausch’s last speech “The Last Lecture” after having just received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis:
The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the bricks walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.
Pain represents a great divide and will be the differentiator of whether or not you decide to continue on your path to purpose. Every moment of pain represents an opportunity for perseverance that can result from an interaction or self-imposition.
Think about your day and retrace your steps, beginning with the time your feet hit the floor until the moment you closed your eyes. Awareness must precede assessment, which will ultimately lead to corrective action. I’d recommend keeping an activity journal either electronically or by notepad. Record your thoughts as you experience the day. What conversations did you have, and what words expressed caused you pain?
It is imperative that you are fully aware of the conditions that cause you to experience pain so that you know when perseverance might be required. A reaction as a result of a painful experience most often leads to more of the same. You do not have the luxury of choosing the actions and/or words of the other person, but with practice, you most certainly can control your response.
Wouldn’t it be great to enter any conversation with the confidence of complete and total self-control? Perseverance is a choice that must be made ahead of time.
You must decide to take that time and NOW is all you have…