Followed by making an honest commitment. And then, one would think that all should come together.
But things will happen. And you will still get what it is you want. Right? Maybe in the movies. But more often than not, the one-two punch of choice and commitment is simply not enough to win you the coveted prize alone.
Because life ain’t the movies.
Things happen. Something goes wrong. There may be/will be distractions. You might have second thoughts. Adversity will be certain to make its appearance in all shapes, sizes and duration.
The remedy to all of this?
A steadfast persistence. An intentional course of action. Perseverance in thought, word and deed. Especially in spite of burgeoning difficulties, discouragement or despair.
Perseverance isn’t so much about waiting as it is about patiently enduring. Keeping the faith. Sustaining some momentum.
And essentially, picking yourself up over and over.
There is a misconception about the relationship between emotion and passion.
Both might be considered sources of energy, enthusiasm and effort in the context of performance. But truth be told, they are neither equal nor interchangeable.
When it comes to impacting performance, emotion is like kindling. Twigs, branches, scrap lumber. Remnants of something fallen. Leftovers of things that used to grow, and sustain life. Now? Readily combustible. Prone to sudden ignition. Just waiting to be lit. And given certain conditions, situations or settings – elements that can be dangerous. Exhibiting the potential to erupt into an uncontrollable flame. Kindling – like emotion – can burn white hot in an instant, spread rapidly without regard for its surroundings and consume all in its path. Even ultimatley, consuming itself.
Emotion follows whatever happens to start it and then feed it, but only for that moment, burning a path wherever it happens to be led. More often than not it comes as a response without regard for consequence, leading to actions built on misdirected energy, focus and intention. Haphazard. Indiscriminate. And entirely unsustainable. Much like kindling, pure emotion can behave absent of any purpose other than to consume. Entirely contingent on the right setting, circumstance and source for ignition. A reaction for reaction’s sake alone.
Passion, on the other hand, is an altogether different kind of energy source.
It is more akin to oak, maple or birch. Hardwoods, that grow sturdy in the elements, forged by the relentless challenges of the environment, weathering the storms of each season. Made to soldier on despite drought, flood, blizzard or injury to limb. Unlike the scattered forces of emotion, passion – like the oak – is an entity that is firmly grounded. Its roots are set deep and poised for growth. Passion is about exerting one’s full intention no matter the elements. Maximizing capacity regardless of the environment. Soldiering on, above and beyond each and every obstacle raised.
True passion is a fuel that is meant to be stoked by purpose.
One made present in a form that can be tempered contingent on the circumstance. Like seasoned oak, passion is intended to burn for the long run. Capable of sustaining a high level of energy for a relentless drive that commands a consistent and persistent release over time without condition. Passion is a source of energy that is made to be delivered with precision. Producing light when things look their darkest. Enhancing clarity in moments of truth. The catalyst that forges steel.
Emotion alone is incapable of sustaining this kind of effort. Only passion is equal to this task.
Don’t get me wrong, emotion is important. It is an integral part of our personal infrastructure. An element well suited to ignite new ventures.
But in the context of the life-long pursuit of achievement, success and excellence, emotion can only take you so far. It may enable you to perform briefly at a high level. But only in the correct setting, proper circumstance and timing. Emotion is dispensed in unsustainable, sporadic bursts. Moments that once extinguished, are out.
And gone for good.
Passion is the only genuine and self-perpetuating source of energy for all that you choose to accomplish. It is born of your mindset. One grown in the open, exposed to the harshest conditions and unrelenting environments. Only passion girds you to weather the storms of the season, keeping you firmly grounded, roots set deep, poised for growth.
Passion is all about exerting your full intention no matter the elements or the competition. Maximizing your capacity regardless of the environment.
Passion leads you to soldier on, above and beyond each and every obstacle raised.
So before you take that field tomorrow night, head to the office or look to find your role. by all means, light that fire. Stoke it white hot with a level of emotion reserved for each day of the week.
But then, as things happen, good or bad, be sure that you feed others with your passion. Guide your collective energies with intention. Drive yourself forward with purpose. Soldier on, as one, above and beyond each and every obstacle raised.
Fuel your performance as one with something more sustaining than just kindling.
“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
A pursuit of excellence doesn’t just stop at scholarship, the arts or athletic pursuits. It is also meant to include service to others. Giving of oneself without expectation of return.
Servant-hood.
The excellence with which you treat, care for and support others. How you affirm their ultimate value and importance to you and others just may enable them to recognize those traits in themselves. By making them the focus of your thoughts, your words and your deeds, you raise them up. And in the process, you cannot help but raise yourself up too.
Service to others is the tried and true method of connecting all of us together, in an unbreakable bond.
When intention fully employed and acted upon intersects with an unflinching level of intensely personal investment, the result can be exponential. The product of you becoming a positive force multiplier.
An entity ever rippling outward.
You see, nothing we ever do in life exists in a vacuum. Your thoughts, words and actions convey your precise intention and personal investment to the public in every venture you pursue. Things that you hold dear are revealed to all each step you take to achieve it. Everything is seen, heard and felt by all of those around you.
The positive force of your choice, action and effort has the potential to be multiplied when those who witness that change in you then choose to embark upon a similar course and make it their very own.
That being said, when you push beyond physical limitations, imagined boundaries of comfort and personal obstacles, others will be led to do the same.
When you exert the mental acuity needed to eliminate distractions, have a short memory when it comes to mistakes and you can “be” totally present, others will witness those outcomes and choose to travel right down that same path along with you.
By stripping yourself of limitations imposed by selfish interests, the constraints of ego and moving beyond “me” to unleash a positive and lasting energy that can only be found in “we”, you will articulate a selflessness meant to be embraced and emulated by all.
Display the courage to give up yourself so that others may become the best version of themselves? Then all will be raised up – as well as you – in the process.
And finally, when you love your teammates and those around you enough to make them the center of your universe, you will be an exemplar of faith in them. An avenue to return your love of them with the same depth and commitment back to you.
So as you embark on the next step of your quest to become what you were intended to be, appreciate the positive force multiplier that lies within each one of you.
Understand how intention and investment cannot exist in a vacuum.
And that the impact of the intersection of your intentional action and your limitless investment therein is seen, heard and felt across all of your universe.
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you until it seems that you cannot hold on for a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time when the tide will turn.”
– Harriet Beecher Stowe
Too often, when we do get into that tight place in our life, we give up a little too early. We quit literally just moments in advance of the turning tide. A situation to which I can speak of, having been there more than once. And I will bet that I will be there once again.
But as Ms. Stowe implies, it only “seems that you cannot hold on for a minute longer”.
“Seems” is a subjective state of mind. Fear, anxiety insecurity guides us to follow that chain of thought. Rather than just holding on a minute longer.
And if we allow circumstances such as these to rule the day, “seems” can work its way into our psyche and make the transition to become doubt. A self-induced concoction meant to move us off of perseverance and faith. And then, our doubts will only betray us.
So, speaking from experience, never give up then.
Gird yourself for just another minute.
For that is precisely the place and time when the tide will turn.
