My last piece was about not viewing side jobs or odd jobs as deterrents, but rather stepping stones leading us straight to our purposes. As important as these jobs are for fostering in us the work ethic needed for the next level we are working toward, there remains a piece I did not mention – a piece that cannot bridge the gap or lead from the side job to the dream job if it is missing. That piece is boldness. Think about it. There is really no other way to describe deliberate effort, unrelenting hard work, and dedication to a craft, other than boldness. Boldness labels something that is beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action, and in order to fulfill our purposes, this is exactly how we must be. In order to get something we’ve never had, we must do something we have never done, and that is the very definition of boldness.
In order to actualize that boldness and fulfill our purposes and feed our souls, another additional piece is required – focus. Last time, I was encouraging us all to remain focused on the job at hand that it may soon free us so we can get to the next step we are working intentionally toward. Now, I have something to add: as much time, effort and focus is required for that day job, twice as much has to go into fueling our purpose and making our dreams realities. In other words, just because you are working a job until you can be the ________ you want to be, (fill it in for yourself) doesn’t mean you lose sight of the end goal, and it doesn’t mean you come home from work and just wait for it to happen. For example, yes, I work at American Eagle, but to ensure I am not a stock associate forever, I write daily. Not only because it is how I observe this world, but because that is who I am and who I would like to continue to be. I don’t work at my job all day and all night, then come home and pray to God that my book will one day be published. I have to continue to write- the book is not going to write itself.
Every once in a while on social media, I see a message that says you’re not tired because of working, but because you have done too little of what feeds your soul. It makes no sense to work weekly to help a company or an individual work toward their goals and dreams and not come home and pursue your own. How can you be wise enough to recognize your purpose, bold enough to proclaim it and yet, not bold enough to achieve it?
As you read these words, know that I, too, am working toward my purpose. I am not there either – what I say to you, I say to myself. That being said, I recognize that we are all on different parts of the journey. Some do not know what their purpose is, some remain in pursuit of it and some of us are stuck even with the wisdom of what it is. But by continuing on the path in front of us, ordering our steps in God’s, and remaining focused on the latter and the former, not only will all soon be revealed but boldness, inevitably, will be garnered.
