Give me This Mountain!

“Pursuing work with a purpose is the new economic period.” – Cliff Hurst

Give me this Mountain!

Cliff sat directly across from me as we talked.  I must say, it was hard for me to talk because of the scrumptious scone that was tickling my tongue.  That’s O.K.  It made it that much easier for me to listen.

The other reason it was easy for me to listen to Cliff is, he believes in the science of “soul purpose.”  Humans perform to their highest and best capability when they are guided by their own sense of purpose.  And, just as there have been other economic trends, e.g. The Agrarian Age, Industrial Age, and Information Age, the world is moving steadily to the “Age of Purpose.”

I have often wondered at the power of purpose.  What it is that will cause one person to look at an obstacle and shrink while another person will look at the same obstacle and cry, “Give me this mountain!”  In personalizing this, are you and I viewing our own futures with excitement and confidence or are our hearts melting at every obstacle?  Perhaps the best illustration I can give of this question is the result of a life-changing experience.

When in college I was reading the campus newspaper when an ad caught my interest.  It was the ROTC offering a rappelling adventure to all students who would like to come.  I had seen those guys rappelling off the tower of the football stadium many times and had thought, “Wow, that looks like fun.”  So I was excited to go on this escapade with those I had admired for so long.

When the anticipated day arrived, we all drove out to the Mountains in Eastern Nevada to a place of beautiful pine forests and shear cliffs.  The beauty was breath taking!  We camped for the night, nestled in the trees, and then in the morning we all awoke and got out and up.

Since I had never rappelled before, and was the only novice in the group, the first thing they did was teach me the mechanics.  Their instruction was clear and gave me confidence.  To give me more confidence, they took me to a small outcropping of stone and let me practice.  It was fun and I was successful!

That success then turned us to a larger challenge.  We hiked to the top of a one hundred twenty foot cliff and said, “Now we’re really going to have some fun!”  A couple of guys wanted to show me the way so they threw their ropes out and ran down the cliff face first.  It was amazing!  I was not so bold until I approached the cliff myself!

When it was my turn, my coach helped me harness up and then he reviewed directions.  He was there with me the whole time.  I was no longer filled with confidence.  I began to back off the cliff!  I hesitated!  I turned chalk white!  I froze!

I was in such obvious turmoil my coach asked, “Are you alright?”

I said NO!

My purpose was no longer to have fun and feel the freedom of romping down the face of a shear cliff.  My purpose became survival.  So, that’s what I accomplished.  I survived, but I didn’t have the fun and glorious adventure the others had who looked at the same mountain and said, “Give me this mountain!”

So, in the here and now, when Cliff said, “Pursuing work with a purpose is the new economic period.”  I pictured that long ago cliff and the mountain that held it and I knew and could feel the difference between surviving and living with purpose and intent!

Are you and I willing to say “I will wholly follow the purpose of my heart to the fullest extent of my energy and my ability?”  Have you and I determined exactly what it is we are able to best contribute to the world, to change it for the better because we were here, being ourselves?

Are you and I crying out, “Give me this Mountain?”