Every day starts with a rising sun.  Some days there’s a strong desire to remain in bed under the warm covers.  On others, I can’t wait to get started and no matter how long I lay there I wouldn’t sleep.  But with the opening of the eyes each morning, there is a realization that I am alive, that there are responsibilities and joy to be had.  What’s important is what drives the day and ultimately leads to the desire to get up and get moving or to remain stationary and try to sleep.  For me it’s a question of priorities and perspective.

That motivation for me is now tied to the path and the Way.  I like to refer to it as a motive.  It’s the engine that powers the day.  It used to be like the “I think I can, I think I can” locomotive puttering to make the steep climb. On other days it was like a freight train barreling down the same grade with no brakes.  Extremes for sure, but rarely without a sense of lasting fulfillment.  It was always about the accomplishment or the praise, my accomplishment and my praise.  The path of climbing this way, focused inwardly, ultimately leads to a stalled train or a wreck depending on the day of the week and sometimes both in the same day. Inevitably this breaks inner peace, fuels conflict, and leads down a path of destruction.

The path can be the same, but the way you get there is different.  The Way part has a huge impact on reaching the final destination, and driving on personal ambition leads to failure.