There comes a time in
every man's life, when he or she must choose to turn and
"face the mountain." Or not. So
many times we can hear the mountain calling us. So
many times we turn away.
We know somehow that the
mountain holds our only promise of true greatness in
this brief life. We sense the danger. And
yet we know that passion lies in the climbing. The
facing. The falling. And the rising once
again.
You are here now to face
something in your life. A great challenge.
An impossible conflict. A dangerous turning
point.
Welcome. I will be
not your guide, but a silent companion. I am the
words you read. Nothing more.
Turn now, and face your
mountain. Let's begin this journey.
Together.
Before we embark,
consider the words of one visionary, in a speech the day
before he was killed for the stand he took in the world:
"Well, I don't
know what will happen now. We've got some difficult
days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because
I've been to the mountaintop... And I've looked over.
And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there
with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as
a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy,
tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not
fearing any man."
You, like the visionary
who spoke those words, are a visionary.
I know that not because I
know you as a person. But because I know you are a
person. And by nature, you've been born with
vision. As have we all.
And with the capacity for
vision, comes the capacity for greatness.
We live in a world that
trains and teaches us to follow some leader's
vision. We are taught to be
"good." And to be good means to act in
line with the prevailing wisdom of our
times.
But we are seldom taught
greatness. For greatness is dangerous to the
powers that be. A man who acts on his own
conscience and vision cannot be subdued or
controlled. As another martyred visionary once
noted in a speech to the youth of the world, the person
of greatness is our only hope.
" Few men are willing to brave the disapproval
of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society.
Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence.
Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change the
world which yields most painfully to change."
Whether you seek to
change the world, or simply your life, your marriage,
your company, or the world around you, this quality of
greatness is vital. What the visionary above
called, "moral courage," is in essence the
power to stand.
Centuries ago, one
courageous man changed the world when he staked his life
on his stand. When he nailed his bold statement,
to the door of the powers that be, he sent shockwaves
through history that still reverberate today. If
you are reading these words, you owe you that privilege
to this one man who risked his life for your right to
think and act from your own conscience and vision.
The sound of his hammer, echoes no longer. But his
words that day echo still:
"Here I
stand. I can do no other."
Anyone can stand.
And anyone can be moved by a vision that calls
oneself and those around her to rise from
"goodness" to greatness.
From the time you were
young, the good people around you naturally wanted you
to be successful, happy and responsible--even excellent,
enlightened or faithful. And so they taught you
and trained you the best they could. The best they
knew how.
My friend, that goodness
training is what often blocks your own natural vision,
and your instinct for greatness.
We are about to unravel
that training and teaching now. Fear not.
While we are stepping out into the unknown, we have all
we need. You have a conscious mind. You have
a conscience. From there, you have a place to
stand.
"Give
me a place to stand," said Archimedes with
lever in hand, "and I will move the world."
The Vision
Force Boot Camp
reveals the "ultimate lever" for your
mind. Anyone has the power to move the
world. All he or she must do is... Stand.
If you're
ready to face your mountain, and embark on a true
visionary's journey, click
here to learn more about the Vision Force Boot Camp: The
iStand Experience.