I recently went for a backcountry hiking trip in the Rockies with a couple of good friends. One of these good friends happens to be a master rappeler, extreme race, eco-challenge veteran. I am not. Needless to say, I draw a whole bunch of confidence and courage from him for my backcountry exploits! The picture below looks beautiful to me – it is one of my favorites from the trip. What you don’t see in this picture is the 15-20 kms of hiking with a full pack to get to this point, and you don’t feel the pain in my knees or the ache in my back!
The picture above is beautiful, and the climbing was difficult, but when I reached the top, this is what I saw next…
Sometimes we need others in our lives to help us discover vision, to press on and reap the rewards of a long journey.
I had a friend recently describe a “sideline” experience in her life. She has been an expert in her field for over twenty years, but was lacking passion for anything of late. She described a season of “going through the motions” with little motivation. I found myself instantly pointing to vision as the culprit.
Vision leads to passion, passion to discipline,and discipline to risk. Our ability to risk all depends on our vision…on what we see.
Here’s a bit of vulnerability for you. I get depressed sometimes. Sometimes I find myself believing that things will not change for the better amidst difficult circumstances. Some days it feels as though I have been carrying a heavy pack over rough terrain and I don’t see the summit. I can forget that I started out on a worthwhile adventure, one that holds the promise of deep experience.
In work and in life we all hold promise; there are great experiences and impacts awaiting!
What do you see? Is it tough slugging ahead? Boring? Hopeless?
Who can you partner with to enCOURAGE you – to help you see what you don’t see?
