Pursuit is the True Reward

When you dream big, everything that pertains to the dream is big.

• You will have to make big decisions.
• You will have to take big risks.
• You will have big disappointments.
• You will potentially get the big reward you envisions.

The first 3 bullets describe what will happen if you pursue your dream. Reward will happen. More importantly the reward might not be what you expect or anticipate.   Without exception, the process of pursuing my dreams has been more rewarding the goal of achieving the dream itself.

The reward of pursuit

When I reflect on a dream accomplished, I see repeated qualities in the pursuit that gave me the big reward I was looking for:

• Growth of Character - Pursuit of a dream that is big enough causes us to grow from the inside out. We push our character to be strengthened by challenging our endurance, testing our patience, and building our gratitude. Character growth comes from pain points and obstacles that we will face.
• A Collaboration Mindset - Pursuing dreams that are bigger than ourselves require others to contribute. The older I get the more I endeavor to bring others to the table. Teams multiply the effort exponentially to achieve the dream. I don’t know of one example, where an individual achieved something world changing by themselves. Maybe your dream isn’t world changing, but it will be more fulfilling when bringing others alongside to help you achieve it.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God!

Psalms 42:1

• The Value of Failure - The biggest reward by far is when I learn from the failures that crop up on us all while achieving the dream. I used to struggle with the term failure and replace it with learning, but realize that failures are necessary. The value of failure keeps me humble, hones my focus, and stirs my passion for excellence during the pursuit. Now to be fair, I don’t always look at it that way in the moment, but I am getting better.
• The End of the Pursuit - I would be misleading if I didn’t share that the end reward is also extremely valuable. It provides satisfaction of accomplishment, love of finishing well, and hopefully some rest and reflection before the next pursuit begins.

When you look back at your work, your family, and your dreams in life do you see the reward of pursuit?