Hunting the Wrong Bear

It’s amazing what the human spirit is capable of doing when it’s backed by the commitment of the soul. People have accomplished extraordinary feats when they are determined to persevere. We are designed to endure much more than that for which we give ourselves credit. And many never see much more than a glimpse of what they are capable of doing.

I believe some of this is due to hunting the wrong “bear.” Instead of searching to understand what we can bear – seeking and stretching our limits to learn what we are capable of enduring – we instead become content to only find the “bare.” We strive for the bare minimum effort to not get fired and to maintain status quo. We commit to only the bare bones preparation for what needs to be accomplished. We work just hard enough to acquire only the bare essentials for the tasks that lay ahead.

People get caught up in the pursuit of “just enough.” It’s the perspective of “What do I have to do?” versus “What needs to be done and how much more can I do?”

The “bare” trap is an easy one to get stuck in, especially because so much of society around us has already taken the bait. But it must be avoided. Ignore the bare to seek out what you can bear.

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