“I know of no such unquestionable badge and ensign of a sovereign mind as that of tenacity of purpose…”

  – Ralph Waldo Emerson 

You will confront adversity.   

At the moment, It may seem a substantial mass. And without exercising your due diligence, discernment and discipline, perceptions of this moment could become distorted. 

Leadership is the lens through which these times must be viewed. And it is first and foremost, a choice. An instrument wholly guided from within. Sovereign to each and every one of you. Reflected by your tenacity of purpose. 

So never grant rationalization the responsibility to determine the outcome of any situation. 

Do not cede the treasured asset of risk for “status quo.” 

Nor forsake an opportunity for excellence in exchange for a pedestrian existence. 

Bold actions and big pictures demand committed, consistent effort. And dreams are meant to be hard and take too damn long. All are a part of this test. 

To see if the mass of a moment will intimidate you into inertia. 

But you can always choose to be an irresistible force, and move the immovable. Win the moment. Seize the day. 

Uphold your sworn and sovereign duty. 

With a tenacity of purpose.

“Self-discipline is a form of freedom. Freedom from laziness and lethargy, freedom from the expectations and demands of others, freedom from weakness and fear and doubt . “

– H.A. Dorfman 

Too often, we tend to view self discipline as a control measure.

As a means of reining in growth, opportunity and ultimately – freedom.  

But that cannot be further from the truth. 

Self discipline consists entirely of achieving self mastery. Embracing a tack towards intention.  To do the right thing no matter the circumstance. A trait gained when you refuse to give in.

Whether to doubt, fear, the unknown,  just plain fatigue, self pity or having an off day. 

Self discipline is the catalyst of a life well lived. Energizing the ability to stay on task and see things all the way through. 

With the utmost  intention. 

So that you can ultimately achieve,  freedom. 

“To accomplish anything worthwhile, you must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice.”

― John Burroughs

Nothing in life that is worthwhile will come easy. 

You have to work for those things that you truly want. Yet work cannot be narrowly defined as only an effort in a physical sense. Duty. Routine. Assignment. Work is also more so a mental, emotional and spiritual endeavor as well. 

Achievement, excellence and success is never a matter of destiny, fate, timing or being in the right place at the right time. For that would mean that we live by chance and what is given rather than being guided by intention. To live solely by chance would negate the value and virtue of your effort and commitment. Your perseverance and sacrifice. And ultimately, your purpose. 

In order to “be” or “become” – you first need to intend to “be” or “become”. 

To be purposeful in your thoughts, words and deeds. To live with intention – and intentionally – is to be guided by purpose. There will always be a price to pay if you live with intention if you are purposeful in all that you do. You will have to “give up” and “surrender” in order  to “go up” and become “victorious”. You will need to leave some – or maybe all of who and what you “are” behind  – in order to get to where you want to go and who you wish to be. 

To be what and who you want to become requires sacrifice. 

And this is never an  easy proposition. 

Rest assured that the suffering you inevitably encounter along the way – whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual in nature – will only be temporary. You are simply giving up comfort for the moment, familiarity of the circumstance and the certain in your mind  in order to press ahead, grow and become what you were intended to be. 

When you pay the price, you are “trading up”.

And after all, wasn’t that always your intention?

Adversity was never designed to be an “if”, but only and always a “when” event.  

Regardless of the meticulous nature of one’s preparation, the sacrifice that has been offered up or the character of the individual putting forth the effort, adversity will appear.  Seemingly random in its appearance or somehow timed to parallel a crowning moment.  

Therein lay its purpose. 

Adversity exists to gauge one’s mettle across the entire personal spectrum; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  Never is it meant to designate one’s value, status or position.  

Question effort, intent or commitment.  

Or qualify that moment as an “it was never meant to be”, “I really didn’t deserve this anyways” or “I really didn’t want this” occurrence.  

Those types of reactions are purely of one’s own making. To save face. Restore ego.  Shrug off impact.  Diminish circumstances.  Such responses are created in such a way as to allow one-self to skirt the absolute truth of the matter.  To excuse. Deflect. Avoid. Ignore.  And prepare one not only an escape route from failure, but from ever trying to overcome that the next time it will happen.

Adversity merely seeks to draw one’s attention to a particular aspect of the present, in order to reveal what more is needed of oneself in the future.  Identify where there is capacity to learn.  To grow.  Develop.  And change for the better. 

So embrace this lesson for what it really is. 

Lean into what it is genuinely offering. 

 And allow it to teach you what will be needed of you in the days, weeks, months and years to come.  

Yes, it stings right now.  

Yet all that has been born out of it will have positive outcomes. The potential to effect lasting change.  To reach another level.  Achieve.  And ultimately, succeed.  

If only you can see it for what it really is; an opportunity. 

Adversity is merely a vision test.  

So you can understand where you were and see what you can ultimately become.

“Inches make champions”  Coach Lombardi

Well put Coach. 

It will always be about attending to the details. The minutiae and small moments that we tend to grant  a free pass. Overlooked.  Disregarded. Ignored.  Because somehow, we convince ourselves that  “they don’t matter”. Dismissively wondering, “how can they possibly add up?”

But all those things do matter.  

They are intended to accumulate, fortify and reinforce you.  Adding  to the finished product in their own discrete way.   It’s just that they do so on their own time.  And though they seem inconsequential and irrelevant alone, they carry a considerable mass when combined. That certain something that is essential to your long term  building process.  

Perhaps this past week, you attended to some of them. Covering several inches that soon became feet. Soon, those will become yards and then, you will be farther from where and how you began.  What and who you are working towards becomes more apparent. Incremental progress is  being made.  

But more inches need to be gained today and every day going forward. 

Every little thing you do right here right now adds to that something which is infinitely larger than you could ever imagine. You may think you have given all you can. But there is more to be expended. Nothing can be held in reserve. You just have to commit, persist, believe and trust in it. 

You are getting there.  It’s just that you are not who, what or where  you are meant to be yet.  Accept that as an expression of an awareness of the incredible opportunity you possess.  Carry it as such.  

Cover those additional inches each moment now so you can become what you are all  meant to be then.  Because when all is said and done, it’s all about where they will ultimately lead.

Right to where you always wanted to be.