YOU WOULD LIKE TO THINK that a clear sense of mission straightens everything out.

And to a certain extent, it does.

But the truth is also that knowing where you’re going doesn’t mean that reality will line up to make your job easy.  You may be on a mission to save lives on the other side of town. Your sirens and flashing lights can help clear the road a bit, but the roads aren’t going to move to make your job easier.

But that’s OK.  Nothing important in life comes easily.

To a certain extent, the fact that the path is difficult is aligned with the idea that your mission is important.  After all, if it was simple, someone else would probably have solved the problem before.

That doesn’t mean that we’re glorifying struggle and difficulty.  Don’t make things harder than they need to be.

No, this is really about giving you and your people hope that the mission is worthwhile.  When you’re convinced that you’re changing the world in positive ways, it seems more worth the trouble to work hard at it.

And, of course, pick the right path.  If you’re on the road to someplace else, the first thing to do is to stop and figure it out before you get even more lost.

Being a guy, of course I had to learn that lesson the hard way.