I escaped from my office today to do some writing at Starbucks (change of place + change of pace = change of perspective) and found that it was not nearly as crowded as usual. I made some headway on a few things until a college student named Carly sat down next to me. I couldn't help but overhear as she got a phone call confirming that she had been accepted into a missions program that would spend her summer in Africa. Needless to say, she was incredibly excited and was calling all of her family to tell them the great news. I could tell from her voice that she was doing everything she could to keep her voice down when all she wanted to do was scream the great news as loudly as she could. Her passion and enthusiasm were incredibly contagious.
I found myself thinking about that powerful energy and how we have it at different times in our lives. Whether it's excitement over a new adventure, the beginning of a new relationship, or achieving a long-desired goal, this initial burst will eventually fade. The reality of the hard work that is necessary to maintain momentum starts to settle in and can decrease our initial passion if we aren't careful. To keep that moving forward, we have to couple our excitement with disciplined prayer and daily focus on the finish line. It's true for our own spirituality, for personal relationships, and as leaders. Nothing great has ever been accomplished without this combination of vision, enthusiasm, and persistence.
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