“I can’t wait to get back to work!” I never believed in my life that I would utter those words. That was because up until two years ago, I never really liked working. Who does, really? But as I sat around during the holidays, taking a much needed siesta from my self-employed life, I developed …
“Patience is not passive waiting. Patience is active acceptance of the process required to attain your goals and dreams.”
―Ray A. Davis
Learning something new takes time. Building a successful business takes time. But in our microwave oven, 140 characters or less society, we don’t like waiting around. Patience is not only a virtue but it is the key to turning your passion into your purpose. Without it, you will constantly be quitting or restarting your journey because you think it is “taking too long.” Time passes at the same speed for everyone, it is our attitude and how we use that time that determines success or failure.
Starting a new venture is always exciting. There is nothing quite like the feeling of finally pursuing your dream. But the initial emotional reaction will dissipate and then you are faced with the obstacles and hardships that come with trying something that is hard. If turning your passion into your purpose was easy, then everyone would be doing it. It is when things get difficult that most people quit and go back to their mundane lives. But we will not quit. We will persist because when we look to the reward we see that it far outweighs the temporary pain of adversity.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
We were not created to live in isolation. We need others around us in order to thrive and to enjoy life to its fullest. The trouble is that entrepreneurs can sometimes be loners. Since we think differently than most, we tend to not “play well with others.” It is integral to our growth that we not only find people who are like-minded, but that our main motivation in life be to put other’s ahead of ourselves. God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” so He created us to be in relationship. This is why the only way we can find our true meaning and purpose in life is when we are in community with one another.
“We romanticize entrepreneurship so much that people don’t do the work. It’s not just a dream, not just a goal; it’s a lot of hard work. A lot of people are wantrepreneurs, not entrepreneurs.” – Mark Cuban
There are a lot of wantrepreneurs out there. People who have “great ideas” and like spending their time on fake business-y things like designing business cards and logos (I am guilty of this) before they even know what their business is going to be, and putting in the work to get it off the ground. I am convicted by these words even as I write them because unless we (I) are willing to hunt down our dreams by pursuing challenges and prioritizing hard work, we will never take our passion and turn it into our purpose.
“There is no glory in practice, but without practice, there is no glory.” – Unknown
The 2nd word that will help you turn your passion into your purpose is “Practice.” Once you have laid out a plan and decided what you will need to do, you need to get to work acquiring the skills necessary to successfully achieve your goal. This is the important work that no one sees. The studying. The acquiring of new skills. The writing and rewriting of your mission and vision. Taking lessons. Taking classes. Whatever it is you need to do to improve your skills and knowledge base. It’s time to talk about PRACTICE.
“If you think practice is boring, try sitting on the bench!” – Unknown
‘xqeu6nst’
“To have meaning, our lives require both passion and purpose. A life without passion is like a furnace without fuel, and without purpose, like a ship without a rudder.” – Mardy Grothe In this episode, we begin a 6-week look at how a person can turn the thing they are most passionate about into a …
#RealPersonRealNeeds In this episode, special guest Susan Hirano discusses her transition from being a full-time Real Estate agent to starting her own home-staging business. After moving from Chicago to Pennsylvania, Susan was faced with a decision, hit the reset button on her Real Estate career and work to establish herself as a top agent in a new …
“Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere.” — Paulo Coelho #RealPersonRealNeeds #SayGoodbye2LesserPursuits I am good at saying HELLO. I like to start things, but oftentimes, I start too many things. At one point in my life, I was a document management associate, aspiring musician, writer, …
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
― Mark Twain
In this quick little episode (recorded on my birthday), I take a look at this profound quote and meditate on how another year passed means another chance to put the life lessons learned into practice. At this time last year, I was about to jump into the unknown with both feet. And I am so glad that I did. This last year brought me face to face with some of the biggest challenges of my life, but it also brought out both flaws in my character that needed to be addressed, and courage that I didn’t know I possessed. Ask yourself today, why was I born? If you don’t know the answer to that question, then stop chasing every other vain pursuit in life (money, relationships, fame, etc.) and start the hunt of your life. The hunt for purpose.