PASSION
Kevin hands us an often tossed-about word. The word is “PASSION.”
It’s a good word, an important
word.
Passion has good intentions. It sounds great rolling off our tongues in
conversation. “I have a passion to do …” we say.
And then comes the doing. Then comes the test of our passion. Passion will either bring us all the way to
the end, or we stop short.
Passion is paying a price. Kevin says, “When one discovers what he/she is willing to pay a price for, then we
have discovered our life’s mission and purpose.
Passion is being willing to suffer for what you love.”
“Suffering
for what you love.”
Passion sometimes hurts. It’s ugly.
It’s smelly. It’s painful. It makes one cry.
But oh, the joy when passion
finally sees the finish line!
When the end of the trail is at
the next turn, passion pays off. Passion
in the beginning is easy. We begin our
journey mostly on adrenalin.
But in the middle of our dream,
where is our passion? Where did it
go?
Where is our passion when the big
hills of life suddenly appear?
Where is passion when we face thousands
of crickets crawling all over us?
Where is passion when the heat of
the day beats down on us?
Where is passion when the chilly
wind of winter blows upon our face?
Where is passion then?
Kevin relates a part of Chad
Hymas’ story in this chapter. Chad was a
strong, robust young farmer/rancher until a one-ton bale of hay fell on him,
paralyzing him from the chest down.
When something like this happens,
you don’t run marathons, and you don’t earn an income. Chad had to learn every functional skill all
over again, except his ability to talk.
Was it frustrating?
Was it fun?
Was it a tough journey?
Yes.
No!
Yes!
Chad decided to become a
motivational speaker. He had a story to
tell, but he needed to add to his story, so he chose a seemingly impossible
task to tackle. He decided to ride 513
miles from St. Lake City to Las Vegas – on a three-wheeled bike. At this point in his recovery, Chad had
learned some amazing skills of self-care.
He relearned how to take care of most of his daily personal needs.
But he had a passion to do
more.
So off he rode one hot July
morning.
The beginning of his trail was
easy – maybe even fun. Friends lined the
thoroughfare, the TV cameras were out, and Chad could hear cheers and words of
encouragement as he pedaled along.
And then came the middle of his
passion. The crowds and cameras were
gone.
Along came the heat of the day.
Along came the crickets.
Along came discouragement,
despair, and fatigue.
But he had passion.
He had passion … and he made it
to the end. After 513 miles of mostly
agony, Chad pedaled into Las Vegas to the cheers of his family, and the hoots
and hollers of the throngs of strangers who came from inside the casinos to
applaud as he rolled up The Strip in Las Vegas.
They cheered because he had
passion, and it carried him all the way to the end of the trail.
Wow! What an encouraging story. What passion!
I received an email from Chad a
few weeks ago. One week later, it hit me
that Chad wrote this to me personally, and he is a certified quadriplegic. He typed that two-sentence message one
character at a time, and it took him three times as long to do that as it takes
me to type a 50-word paragraph.
The man is amazing.
He is PASSION personified.
He had a goal, a dream, he set a
plan in motion, and he won.
What is your goal, your dream,
your mission?
How is your passion?
Is it stretching you?
Kevin notes in his Journal
Thoughts – “Mission” means to be sent
forth. I will take care to do what I was
meant and sent forth to do.
Chad’s mission was to become a motivational
speaker and change lives by telling his story as only he could tell it.
What is your passion?
Go forth, with passion!
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