“The commitments we make are strongest when they are linked to our passion and our vision. Maintaining focus keeps us on our course!”
Over the past few weeks, I have been traveling at a decent pace on my committed path. This path is a clear reflection of my passion, my commitment, and my vision. I have never been more energized by what I am engaged in.
At the same time and at a similar pace I sometimes feel like I am hurtling toward something that presents itself as an obstacle. Sometimes it feels as though the more positive momentum created moving forward moves me just as fast and in a direct path toward the obstacle.
This obstacle has been somewhat of a distraction and has resulted in very subtle interruptions to my momentum. The reason I never completely lose momentum or allow fear to stop my progress is because I continually remind myself of the reason for the path I am on. Fortunately, I have defined my commitment in such clear, concise terms in relation to my passion and vision, that I ultimately trust the path and the journey and am able to look beyond the barrier even when it is staring me straight in the face!
How do I look past these obstacles when they are very present, very real, and very distracting? Here are my four steps for staying on path, on task, and on my journey:
- Passion: It all starts with knowing what drives, inspires, and motivates you. In discovering what gives you energy on a regular basis, you begin to come into reality with your purpose — what gives you reason for celebrating your accomplishments and where you share your gifts, talents, and abilities.
- Commitment: Once you are clear about your passion and purpose, make a commitment to live and share that energy on a regular basis. This does not mean that you need to change careers, quit your job, or go live in a monastery. What is does mean is that you remind yourself on a regular basis who you are, what drives you, and what you have to offer the world. You make a commitment to consciously live, breath, and engage in that mindset every single moment, every single day.
- Focus: From here focus on the opportunities, conversations, and events that you engage in. In your heightened awareness and consciousness you will begin to create and discover more occurrences to live consistently to your passion and purpose. In your clarity you will realize that the opportunities to celebrate your passion and purpose do not require life-changing actions; rather, they are enabled by simply living in the moment and being authentic to who you are, not what you think you need to be.
- Trust: This is the big one. Fear, in the face of change, is a monster. Fear is the distraction that stops, inhibits, and kills all forward momentum of change. As you begin to embrace a transformation to embrace the authentic you, your progress will be inhibited by the forces that are resistant to both the subtle and significant changes that you have created. When obstacles appear — money and time are the two big ones — you need to remind yourself of where and why you started this (passion, commitment, focus) and trust the ongoing process. External threats and internal concerns are merely forces acting against your pursuit of change. Trust the path you have chosen — for it was created in your heart. Focus on maintaining that path on the strength of your trust in those choices.
One hundred days ago I made a commitment to not block my vision for a 100Pedals Project. I committed that I would do something every single day to make certain that this project kept moving. During this commitment there were significant professional, personal, and financial distractions that seriously challenged my confidence in this journey. There were days where it seemed like I was alone, stuck, isolated, and failing. Regardless of the head chatter and some very real external threats, I stayed focused on the mission and the commitment. I did so because I continually reminded myself why I started on the journey in the first place. The reason I started on this path — my passion, my purpose, my vision — is what enabled me to stay focused to my commitment and encouraged me to trust the journey.
Today, I am proud to celebrate the progress of this project. I have not achieved or realized the overall objective or the vision; however, I am able to celebrate a milestone. It is a milestone (100Pedals, 100Days, 100Stories — Inspirations from the Road) that I never would have been able to celebrate had I not gone through the process.
I encourage each of you to start your journey by examining what inspires, drives, and energizes you. If you need assistance walking through the steps, please let me know. In the meantime, keep moving, keep celebrating your accomplishments, and enjoy your life!!
