The ‘big three’ of success — purpose, passion, pursuit

When real passion is present, even the most daunting challenges are conquered in the relentless pursuit of purpose. The incredible is accomplished... Passion fuels pursuit to fulfil purpose.

Purpose, passion and pursuit can be described as three very fundamental elements of every person’s existence. To a large extent, this triplet determine the success or failure, and very meaning of life.

Whether or not we realise it, everyone alive is always in pursuit of something — an objective, a goal, a target. From the crying baby in the crib, to the dad or mom who hastily heads out to the workplace, we all begin each day in pursuit of something — or many things. That which we pursue forms part of the purpose (or destiny). The conviction, resolve and drive with which we pursue the purpose, is called the passion. The essential value which we attach to the purpose, would decide the depth and quality of the passion with which we pursue. And the passion (or persistence) that we exercise is, in most cases, the primary determining factor, in terms of the final results. How many times the absence or lack of passion results in the abortion or death of a most marvellous dream or vision? There is an absence of the passion to pursue, so no move is made, nothing is accomplished. On the other hand, when real passion is present, even the most daunting challenges are conquered in the relentless pursuit of purpose. The incredible is accomplished. Passion fuels pursuit to fulfil purpose. We can’t beat the old maxim: “Where there is a will, there is a way.”

We were all designed by the Creator for success. Really, God makes no failures. It’s however up to us, the creation, to use the intrinsic resources provided by the Creator, to appropriate the intended and desired success. Life and history furnish us with some outstanding examples of the amazing power of passion in achieving purpose. A living example is South Africa’s Nelson Mandela. Twenty-seven tormenting, intensely oppressing years in jail did not have enough extinguishing power to quench the fire in the soul of this hero of Black Liberation. Twenty-seven years of living in the valley of the shadow of death, tightly shackled in the captivity of his most bitter enemies, completely failed to persuade the lion-hearted Mandela to recant. In fact, his tenacity in passionate pursuit of purpose, effectively assisted in applying the degree of pressure necessary to bring his rivals humbly to their knees, as the evil of apartheid shattered to pieces.

Take a look at the phenomenal Lance Armstrong. Literally defying death, under the cruel challenge of cancer, the amazing athlete has held the world spellbound. Describing cancer as merely “an unexpected gift,” the two-time Olympian, five-time Tour de France winner, world champion cyclist has most convincingly demonstrated the awesome power of passion to succeed against the most extreme odds. We also look at the passion of noted Evangelists such as Charles Finney, Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, and biblical figures like Moses, Joshua and Jeremiah, and we marvel. We envy his resolve, as we observe the virtually unparalleled passion and pursuit of the Apostle Paul, who loudly proclaimed: “None of these things (vicious acts of persecution) move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish my course with joy.”  (Acts 20:24). And most certainly, the passion of Christ himself, is in a class all by itself.

It will be instructive for us to review a few basic stumbling blocks to passion:
*Unclear purpose: Purpose, cause, objective, goal, vision, mission, must be very clearly defined and understood. A “burden” must be developed for some, before pursuit is embarked upon.
*Fear of failure (FOF): Fear, especially the fear of failure, (which includes the consequences of failure) can be particularly cruel to passion for pursuit. Resolute faith and optimism are imperatives. Simply put, you use PMA to defeat FOF — use a positive mental attitude to defeat the fear of failure.
*Plain laziness: Sometimes our passive, nonchalant approach to pursuit has to do simply with slothfulness and irresponsible behaviour. A diametric change in attitude (which replaces laziness with diligence) is the only sure cure. Attitude determines altitude.
*Defects in focus/consistency: Challenges of various types can prove to be great enemies of passion. As difficulties are encountered in the process, passion tends to weaken. There must be a radical determination to stay on course.
While we look at the matter of passion and pursuit, we need to be ever conscious of the fact that there are extremely diabolical elements in our world, who possess incredibly deep passions for the most nefarious aspirations. Call them terrorists or anything else, the evil is the evil. The frightening thing is that if the passion which these elements have for evil, outweighs our passion for good, then evil wins over good. Just remember, that all it takes for evil to prevail, is for good men to do nothing. All in all, place your faith in God and His Son, as you pursue purpose with passion.