The
great architect Frank Lloyd Wright was fond of an incident that may have seemed
insignificant at the time, but had a profound influence on the rest of his life.
The winter he was 9, he went walking across a snow-covered field with his
reserved, no- nonsense uncle. As the two of them reached the far end of the
field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed out his own tracks in the snow,
straight and true as an arrow's flight, and then young Frank's tracks meandering
all over the field. "Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the fence
to the cattle to the woods and back again," his uncle said. "And see
how my tracks aim directly to my goal. There is an important lesson in
that."
Years later the world-famous architect liked to tell how the experience had
contributed to his philosophy in life. "I determined right then," he'd
say with a twinkle in his eye, "not to miss the things in life, that my
uncle had missed."
Frank Lloyd Wright saw in those tracks what his uncle could not: It is easy to
let the demands of life keep us from the joys of living.
We all recognize that any goal in life worth achieving demands a great deal of
our energy. If you are a doctor you must spend vast hours alone and in residency
studying the human body. The life of your patient demands it. If you are a
teacher you must live in the library researching and preparing for your lecture.
The mind of your student demands it. If you are a carpenter you must patiently
measure the building before you drive the first nail. The integrity of the
structure depends on it. If you are a mother you must sacrifice your life for
another. Your children require it.
We could not live if we did not set goals and work to fulfill them. No sane
person would argue otherwise. But here’s what young Wright discovered at the
tender age of 9, and what some don’t learn until 59: The objective in life is
not the goal but the journey on the way to the goal. The whole city had gathered
around the door, pressing in to see Jesus. The demands on him were already
piling up. He cured many, cast out demons, and taught constantly. And his
disciples didn’t help matters. When he left in the morning early to pray, they
went searching for him. And when they found him they said, “What are you
doing, everyone is searching for you?”
How do we enjoy the journey when everyone and everything is searching for you,
wanting a piece of you, and demanding your time?
1. Hard Work Is Required.
2. Do Not Let Others Define Your Goal.
3. Remember to Pray!
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