Intention, Passion, Faith and the Pursuit of Happyness by Eric Huber

I awoke, today, to sounds of ice covered limbs cracking and crashing to the ground.

Stepping outside, I could hear the trees near and far as they creaked, snapped, cracked and splintered. Large and small pieces stripped away from their normally strong limbs and fell to the ground, ambivalent to the fences, cars, homes and other things they destroyed below them.

Some majestic aged trees were ripped asunder. Half of their mighty trunks splayed across roadways causing traffic to slow and re-route their normal path to and fro.

Such devastation frozen water can create.

But is this a good thing? Does this help clense the earth of too much growth? Let the trees regrow stronger? Give younger saplings a chance to reach for the stars as well?

I'm no botanist.

But I do tend to see bigger pictures from time to time.

--

Are there things in our lives that do the same thing?
Strip away the old thoughts and help the new thoughts break through?

If you haven't seen the "Pursuit of Happyness," I highly recommend it. It is, sometimes, a hard movie to watch. And without giving anything away (as the man whose life it is based on has been interviewed countless times on tv and radio), it is a prime example of having things stripped away to create something new and stronger.

How was this done?

By setting his intentions.

It's that simple.

It's that hard.

So many people in my life waver regularly in what their intentions are. They change and shift their focus so often that they constantly get stuck and struggle and don't understand why they can't achieve what they most want. Why they can't break through some mental block to get what they've dreamed of having.

And guess what?

So have I.

It's the only reason I recognize it in others around me.

I set my intention and head off in the direction I believe I want to go. Not always knowing the path, but always heading towards that goal. Whether it's a job, car, house, place, or person... I am doggedly persistant in my approach and in my intention.

It becomes my passion.

But the road is beset by distractions.

Some distractions feel like they are part of the journey I'm taking. The intention I'm focusing on. Only to find out, it isn't. I've taken a detour that has led me away from what I want most.

Fear and doubt creep in. Can I do this? Do I deserve this? Am I good enough for something this wonderful? Some person? Some place?

But we must not hesitate. Must not doubt ourselves. "He who hesitates is lost" is a phrase that came to mind. Although in doing a quick bit of research, I discovered the English essayist and poet Joseph Addison is credited for actually writing a version in regards to women. "When love once pleads admission to our hearts, the woman that deliberates is lost," he wrote.

However, no matter your gender, no matter the time... when you hesitate, the moment is gone. And to reset your intentions, it takes more time and strong effort to try to recapture your focus and set your course for your goal.

You have to believe in yourself.

You must have faith.

And you must take action.

"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works."
"Show me your faith without your works,
and I will show you my faith by my works."
-James 2:17-18

The Muslim belief is "In order, to obtain salvation a person must combine faith and action, belief and practice. Faith without doing good deeds is as insufficient as doing good deeds without faith."

Intention. Faith. Action.

It's that simple.

It's that hard.

You may lose everything.

And gain more than your wildest dreams.

So, my friends, family, loves, passions... the ice storm is passing and I have been stripped bare of many thoughts and views. It is an ongoing process. One where those I've been blessed in meeting from all walks of life, beliefs and backgrounds have taught me things to strengthen my faith, reset my intentions, feed my passions and help me on my own "Pursuit of Happyness."

Thank you all.