This week I'm reading another book with a similar theme: Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington. Few books have resonated with my heart like that book has. Following Washington's journey from plantation slave, to student, to teacher, we see a man who let nothing stop him from his goals.
His life story convicted me that I (as well as many others) have succumbed to the shackles of society: lethargy, low self-esteem, and entitlement. My generation has lost something great and irreplaceable: a persevering spirit. We have devalued the will to say, "This is what I will do and no amount of obstacles will stop me. No fatigue, no opinions of others, no hardships will ever bar me from this worthwhile goal."
We are somehow afraid that if we set too high of a goal, we will fail, and discouragement will be our only reward. But in reality, it is when we set low, easy goals and do nothing with our lives that we carry the weight of despondency.
Our "I think I can" became "I think I can't" which in turn, became "I think I'll quit." In the end, we looked at the mountain, lost steam, and that was that.
But there is hope. When we set our minds to do something great, the challenges look less like limitations, and more like opportunities to learn and grow. We pursue our passion with perseverance. And that's when we come alive.
As Booker T. Washington stated, "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."
Currently I have not discovered my one true life passion or goal, but I'm still searching. Are you?