kennethbaucum

I'm noticing a lot of lane-changing in my life.  Still the same road with the same destination, but definately a lot of switching between the fast lane and the slow lane.  I suppose that's good, right?

Yes, I use my turn signal.

Quite simply, it's good to relax at times and good to get your blood pumping at times.  Personally, I prefer to choose when to change between the two.  Sometimes, it's chosen for me.  As I learn from my struggles and consider my goals, you can bet that you'll see me doing all kinds of things to enhance my perspective on life.

I'll share more in due time . . . drive safely!

I hate being all tied up.  Tied to a desk in an office with no windows.  Tied to a schedule with little flexibility for my needs.  Tied to an obligation to cover for other people's mistakes.  Tied to a responsibility to do it all myself, unable to trust other people's work.  Tied to a phone with customers who are generally unappreciative, upset or unforgiving. Tied to -- everything.

Someone, please...cut the rope, loose the chains, see the burden I bear.  Why should work be something that I have to do?  Why not be something I want to do?  Like a puzzle, I have to construct the pieces in a way that allows me to enjoy work, enjoy free time, enjoy other, and enjoy life.  The question now is -- how do I find the right order?

Can you tell it has not been a good day at work?  Thanks for listening, your prayers are appreciated...

"The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. ... [I]t is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable -- and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!" --Patrick Henry

Could you take your passion in life, right now, and do it for the rest of your life, regardless of whether it ever earned a single cent?  Would you continue to share your knowledge with the world for free?  Is it worth sacrificing for?

The answers to these questions will help you identify your passion and determine just how passionate you truly are.  Words are great, but what about action?

I've been thinking for the past two years about work and passion -- including the relationship between the two. I'm looking at the idea of a zero-hour workweek, and the existence of true passion.  A place where you are so passionate about what you do -- your skills, talents and abilities that you share and contribute to the world -- that you could care less if you ever earned another cent for it, and you would still sacrifice your time and possibly money to contribute that knowledge to others. Mix this idea with one where your work and play are indistinguishable from each other and you're paid to merely do what you love.  This is the Passionate Zero-Hour Workweek.

What is greatest about this is that anyone can do it. If and only if it is truly your passion and others can see that passion in you. There are people who do this everyday, and they are not all millionaires, but they are all happy -- at least in a human sense, and at least temporarily. These concepts do, at first blush, leave God out. However for a Christian, this makes you reliant on God to help -- for God to step toward the middle as you approach from the other side -- and helps build your relationship with Him further.

I've found it takes a few restless nights and a couple heartbreaks to really start to wrap your head around the whole concept. Sometimes, you can't fully get the idea until you're at the bottom looking up. At some point, when you get it, and decide you're dedicated enough and passionate enough to go for it -- you'll jump off the diving board at the top of this skyscraper of thought and you'll trust God and trust (some of) your built-in instincts to build your own parachute on the way down, deploying it into the wind with enough time to glide over the ocean that separates thinkers from doers and finally come to rest on the other side in the Promised Land.

Turn your thoughts into action and succeed.

I'm ready to run.  Run with an idea, run with a friend, or just simply run.  The time for action is now.  Where do I fit?  What's my role?  Who do I support?  Who supports me?

The race has begun, I left the starting line, and jogged around the first turn, but that's not the end.  It's only the beginning.  There are others ahead of me who know where the goal lies and are sprinting ahead to reach it.  Behind me, others are finding their feet, standing, and beginning to walk -- some may even be considering the possibility of jogging now.

Shall I stay behind to lead those who choose to follow?  Should I instead sprint ahead and follow a group who knows where they're going?  Or, is there a place somewhere in between, where I can follow a pack of great leaders, and be able to convince some lonely bystanders to join the race and run with me to the end?

For now, I'll simply run. Where's my water bottle and shoes?