"Stay Fuelled by the Purpose"

This week I have been away from home to attend a software training course in Johannesburg. I have up to now, been trying a DIY or rather TIY (Teach It Yourself) approach with very little success and much frustration. 

The course presenter is supremely knowledgeable about the software due to his years of experience with it and effortlessly navigates his way through menu paths, mouse gestures, selecting variables, updating, referencing, linking and regenerating. Watching him operate is like watching a symphony conductor at work. I’m guessing, but I imagine my efforts at reproducing his baton movements would be very similar to my mimicking the course presenter’s skills.

I cannot even pretend to be an expert in this field but the comforting fact is that he too, at one point sat in the same introductory course I am being trained in. This reminds me of one of my earlier blogs, “You CAN get there from here.” There may be a far off place or somewhere just around the corner, it may be something easily achievable or something on the ‘one-day list’. Whatever it may be, you just have to purpose yourself to go.  Without a purpose, you are just out for a stroll. You may by chance get somewhere but more than likely you’ll either get lost or end up right where you started (with tired legs).

I am much more of a plan and purpose type person. It is just much more efficient use of my time and resources. One of my biggest annoyances is having my efforts wasted. It is completely demoralising and I’ll dramatize it a bit by saying that it is  even disrespectful…

This week away from home, although tough to be away from my family has been productive in gaining momentum for my purpose. It is equipping me for the journey ahead. Gaining the necessary resources for the journey is very important. You could find yourself half-way down the main road and realise that you didn't fill up with gas, halting the journey where it is until you have refuelled. Distractions like these can derail your focus and send you in a completely different direction. Stay fuelled by the purpose and keep your eyes on the goal. Trying to keep a flame burning without sufficient fuel is never going to be successful. This message leads on from last weeks in terms of ‘your purpose’. You need to discover your purpose and try and marry your goals to those purposes. Having identified a clear purpose behind those goals is like bringing in rocket fuel to keep a candle burning. It’s going to burn bright and for a long time...