“It [hard work] will be successful when passion and purpose meet discipline.”- Tom Eggebrecht
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”- Oscar Wilde
Tom Eggebrecht notes in Chapter 6 (“Be Yourself”) of Fully and Creatively Alive that you attract others to be part of your dream through your unique personality, gifts, talents, and desires. In the words of Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself.”
Therefore, people love and respect authenticity. In Chapter 7 (“Passion and Purpose”), John Maxwell, one of the foremost authorities on leadership, states that you find your purpose when you passion and giftedness match. Furthermore, when you’re truly passionate about something, you sustain your commitment regardless of pay.
Also, you need to get comfortable with people saying no. Most noteworthy, only you can make the decision to move on, to revision your calling. Ryan Winnen, drummer for the group COIN, states that we must learn to accept the “no’s”. In addition, we need to understand that those “no’s” always lead to “yes’s”. Rejections lead you to the right people:
“All of the rejections of your life are doors closing because the right ones have yet to be opened. God will open those doors when the time is right.”
However, fulfilling your calling as a creative person sometimes puts you in a lonely place. Perhaps others see only parts of your dream. As a result, Ryan offers this advice as you look for the intersection of passion and purpose in your life:
- hold self-discipline in the highest regard
- create a schedule and commit to it
- balance work and recreation
- rid your life of distraction, create order
- focus on your craft and the daily exercise of it
Today’s question: In your calling, what happens when passion and purpose meet discipline? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Building a mound of snow”
