“Aim at nothing and you will hit it every time!”
These words hit me with a powerful and permanent revelation. I was in a leadership seminar with a speaker that was quoting Dr. Howard G. Hendrix (Dallas Theological Seminary). This simple (yet very profound) statement has had an immutable impact in my life.
He was talking about an understanding of:
He was highlighting the fact that without a purpose, our life is destined to drift along as the proverbial “ship without a rudder”. Without purpose we are opening ourselves up to the petty and often cruel influence of others that are interested in their own agendas and certainly not in our best interest.
As children we are reminded that certain aspirations are beyond our reach. One would hope that it was meant that these aspirations are beyond our reach because of our current age and that as we matured, nothing would be beyond our reach. But I am afraid that adults were quick to remind us of what we couldn’t do and conveniently forget that our time may yet come. There are always people around to squash any displays of enthusiasm. So after years of being told what we cannot do or shouldn’t waste our time dreaming about is it any wonder that our society as a whole has issues with turning our dreams and aspirations into meaningful effective action based on a clear and attainable purpose. It is easier to “go with the flow” and set aside our dreams rather than “rock the boat” or upset the “status quo”.
What works better is an approach that allows children to continue to dream, tempered with any practical limitations imposed by age, physics (as we understand it), or other temporary boundaries. The intent is to help our youth temper their activity and learn to establish goals that are out of their reach, but within their grasp. That is, to set goals that are not too easy, but that can be grasped with the proper application of intelligence, energy, and imagination; hopefully, all the while being encouraged by our parents, mentors, and other associates.
Hopefully, it will become clear that with proper definition, planning, execution, and energy, any goal can be attained. Individual excellence can easily be demonstrated by heroes such as Edison, Oppenhiemer, Moses, or Patton (to name a few).
As a species we tend to “go with the flow” rather than create new frontiers. The propensity to “boldly go where no man has gone before” is not generally adopted by the masses in our society.
It appears that statistically we are predisposed to be a follower not a leader. It has been said that there are three kinds of people in the world:
The “make it happen” group is a very small percentage of the population that has a purpose and is willing to lead others toward that purpose. These others that are being led come from the “watch it happen” group. They derive their individual purpose from the “make it happen” group. And of course, the “What happened?” group is wandering around without direction or purpose.
Many have not progressed past the fetal stage; they are running around looking for a place to re-attach their umbilical cord to once again achieve that secure and safe feeling that was experienced in the womb.
No matter which group we end up in, the real question is - What is the result?
What is the consequence of your decision (or indecision) to lead or follow?
The consequences can be positive or negative. Consequences are evaluated based on the short-term and long-term effect on ourselves, those close to us, our community, our nation, and planet earth at large.
Short-term negative consequences are fairly easy to spot. On the other hand; it takes a great deal of maturity and experience to discover long-term negative consequences.
Suppose we decide to jump off of a high bridge onto the railroad track below. It is even easy for a child to deduce that this is not a good choice. However; it takes maturity, experience, and wisdom to choose to be a non-smoker or a non-drinker. Unfortunately, that type of maturity and wisdom is never attained by most folks.
Another one of the problems is in how we determine the “benefit” of a particular objective. Many people chose a particular path because they think that it will make them happy. If you seek happiness, you will never find it. Happiness cannot be a goal; it can only be a result (a by-product) of a well chosen and completed goal. The most satisfying and fulfilling projects are usually aimed at the betterment of someone other than ourselves.
What most people never realize (or admit) is that the shortest path to happiness is through control (real or perceived). There is a deeper more satisfying happiness that is attained through patient attainment of long term goals. But because we generally lack the patience required, we resort to a shorter path that involves our control of our immediate environment. Just observe an infant or young child once they have conquered some new task, you will see the happiness that is the result of that perceived control.
This relationship between happiness and control follows throughout our entire life. It directly impacts our decision process when choosing which tasks we will invest our time and energy. It is all about control. Control of our bodies (dancer, gymnast, or body builder), control of things (musician, carpenter, or pilot), control of animals (lion tamer, jockey, or hunter), control of nature (farmer, bridge builder, or chemist), control of others (prison guard, politician, or foreman) are just a few examples of how our life’s purpose is directly influenced.
To summarize:
I began with a quote:
“Aim at nothing and you will hit it every time!”
It made me realize that if we do not set goals and objectives, if we choose to follow the crowd, if we do not develop a purpose for our life, we will not be setting our selves up for disappointments and challenges. It is that very trial, error, and accomplishment that gives us the opportunity for growth.
So…
What is the “Power of Purpose”?
The “Power of Purpose” is that there is nothing that is unattainable by a properly motivated and focused individual!
Thank You,
Sam Hanie
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