Even in the best of times, life can be bumpy. Challenges are a part of life, and the better equipped you are to overcome them, the greater your potential.
One factor that adds rocket fuel to your ability to blast past problems is to really want to reach what's on the other side of them. When you care more about what you are trying to do than you do about the unpleasantness that the challenge brings up, you're motivated to find a way past it.
In a recent blog post, Jon Gorden puts it this way. “Your purpose must be greater than your challenges.”
I love that way of thinking about it. When you have a compelling purpose to what you do, it pulls you forward past the challenge. That doesn't mean that the challenge won't be difficult, or painful, but when you put it on the scale and weigh it against that purpose, plowing forward is a no-brainer.The M in M.A.P. Maker stands for meaning. In the sense I talk about it here, meaning comes from working towards making an impact on something beyond yourself that has a significant positive charge for you. It comes from working towards making the kind of difference that inspires you.
One of benefits of having that sense of meaning in the picture is exactly what Jon describes. It becomes greater than your challenges. When you're working towards an outcome that inspires you, it's easier to resist identifying with the challenge, and you put your energy more naturally into moving past it.
Plus, it's a lot easier to experience the bumps and bruises in pursuit of something you really care about than in pursuit of something you don't.
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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst
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