From Entrepreneurial to Purposeful

This is a story of limiting beliefs. I visited Scotland some time ago, and during a free day, I went to a little beach called Silver Knowles. I immediately noticed an island not too far off from the shore, and a kind of stone bridge looking structure that led to it, but the bridge looked broken down and falling apart. On the island, I saw a fort structure, so I decided I wanted to go and explore the island. I began walking down the shore with the intent of crossing the sketchy looking bridge. As I was walking, I saw several really nice and peaceful places that could be wonderful for some personal reflection time if I couldn't get to the island, but I kept on keeping on. It was a bit of a hike, and about 2/3rds of the way there, what I thought was a bridge really wasn't. They were very large unconnected pillars - impressive, but disappointing because I couldn't see any other way onto the island. Do I keep going and go as far as I can, or turn aside to one of those really great oasis? I chose to go on at least to the end of the pier.

Disappointment slowing me down, I got to the edge and was extremely surprised to see that next to the huge pillars, there was a very low walkway, so low that you couldn't see it from far away, so low that when the tide came in, water would completely cover it. I'm sure you can see the life lessons here. When our path towards a vision or goal gets blocked, goes the wrong direction, or has fallen apart, we have a choice to make.

I'm reading business best seller "The One Thing" by Gary Keller, and he calls it moving from "E" (Entrepreneurial) to "P" (Purposeful). He says highly purposeful people don't accept the limitations of their natural approach as the final word. Entrepreneurial people have great talent, and that can carry them quite far, but where the talent stops is where their ceiling is.

Sometimes, we can hit that ceiling and camp out on a plateau that is much farther than we've been, but doesn't seem to be moving us past where we've imagined, and we become complacent in our limitations. How do we become purposeful in this moment? Let us look at things differently: "I'm still committed to growing, so what are my options?"

Most of us know the verse Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect." The broken bridge and hidden walkway echo His call not to be limited by what we first see, but renew how we think so we can see and step into the next stretch God has already prepared for us. Galatians 6:9 also encourages us to not "become weary in doing good, for at a proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up."

Don't let what you can see stop you. Look for better models and systems, ways that can take you farther. Renew your mind, adopt new skills and new relationships to help you put them into action.

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