PATHFINDER - The Words of Aspire (#2 of 11)

Pathfinder 

Lesson #2 in an Eleven-part series 

based on Aspire by Kevin Hall
(Click Here to order your copy of Aspire.)

When I lived in Albuquerque, I had the grand opportunity to see the wildness of that great land of enchantment.  I still love the dessert landscape with the tumbleweeds and the sage brush. 

One winter, my good friends Lawrence and Bess Oliver took a group of us on a snow-shoe outing in the Sandia Mountains.

We got all gathered up, and packed our backpacks and our warm clothes and off we went.

The snow began to fall as we parked our car, and got heavier as the morning went on.

On we trudged.  We were in a winter wonderland and loving every minute of it.

After two hours into our hike, Lawrence stopped, looked around and quietly said, “I think we’re lost.”

What to do?  We were in a blizzard, it was cold, and the hot chocolate was long gone.

But as quickly as Lawrence told us that grim news, he quickly added, “but I think I can get us back on track.”

We cut across what was surely untraveled landscape, and before long we were back on the path and soon found our vehicles. 

Lawrence was a pathfinder.  He knew what to do to lead us on our way. 

A Pathfinder is a leader.  Kevin breaks down these words for us as follows:  “The first part of leader is “lea” – which means path; the second part – “der” means finder.”

“A leader is a pathfinder.  They read signs and clues.  They see and show the way.”

“So, being a leader means finding the path, but before you can help someone else find their path, you must know your own.”

Lawrence was an experienced outdoorsman.  He had walked the Sandi trails many times.  We had confidence in him that he knew what to look for.

That’s what we want in a leader.  We want someone who has gone before us and can read the signs. 

--Great teachers are pathfinders.

         --Some exceptional ministers

            have proven to be pathfinders.

     --Certain authors are certainly pathfinders. 

        They point us to good and wholesome places

        for our life’s journey. 

What kind of pathfinder are you? 

Are you trusted and proven in your field?

Do you know your own way 

so that you can lead others?

We are all on some kind of path.  Is it the right path for you?  Only you can answer that after some serious soul searching and thinking about your life, your dreams, your passions, and your calling.

Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of the Myth, teaches us this:  

“When you follow your bliss, you put yourself on the track 

that has been there all the while … you begin to meet people 

who are in the field of your bliss, and they open doors to you.”

Kevin wraps up this chapter with these thoughts:

“I have come to realize that those who follow their true path and purpose do five things:

1.     1.  They are able to read the clues that guide them on their path.

2.     2. They are very clear about where they are going.

3.     3. They recognize and embrace their natural gifts.

4.     4. They are willing to sacrifice to make significant contributions.

5.     5. They follow their bliss, and as a result they meet people on their path who have been placed  

        there to guide them along their journey.

I love what Kevin writes in his Journal Thoughts:

“Four things I need to recognize daily.

1.      People who appear on my path to help me fulfill my purpose.

2.      Actions taken on opportunities

3.      Thoughts that help me create a life of meaning and significance.

4.      Moments of happiness and bliss.

P – People

A – Actions

T – Thoughts

H – Happiness

That spells PATH.”