The Necessity of Pursuit

Our brains prioritize two natural functions: prediction and protection. 

Prediction allows individuals to notice patterns and anticipate potential problems; in concert, protection provides safety and defense for survival. An argument could be made: the most powerful defense is a purposeful offense!

To realize our full potential we must take on one additional personal responsibility: pursuit.

It demands introspection, reflection, and self-awareness.

It makes us answer, “What do we really want, and why?” 

It requires energy, sacrifice, and time.

Imagine hearing someone say “A, B, C, D, F, G” … our prediction machines would have to recalibrate because of a perceived missing “E.”

Imagine having coffee with a friend, and then a black bear crawled in through the front door — not only would this be an unpredictable, irregular event, everyone would stop their conversations and focus on protection.

Imagine living decades in the same location, doing the same work, and eating the same meals… Although predictable and routinely protective, would that lead to a life fully lived?

No. 

But, why? 

Because beyond safety and survival… we, as human beings, crave meaning, purpose, and significance.

Each of us needs a pursuit.

Pursuit: the act of striving for something valuable

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Any phenomenal story follows an arc aligned with The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell. This universal pattern could be broken down into three parts: The Departure, The Transformation, and The Return; or, split into seven stages:

1. The Ordinary World — what is known and where is comfortable
2. The Call to Adventure — who we could become if we listened to that small, still voice within
3. The Refusal of the Call — fear of rejection or failure makes us doubt our capabilities
4. The Meeting of Mentors — experienced individuals encourage us to take a leap of faith
5. The Crossing of Threshold — a point of no return, into the unknown; action conquers fear
6. The Painful Test — external arguments and internal battles reshape our perspectives
7. The Homecoming — like an elixir for others, we return home to contribute lessons learned

Similar to a snake shedding its skin, humans have the capacity to shed old identities. Voluntary confrontation with what makes us afraid also makes us braver, more courageous, and heroic. Behind every dragon is treasure; the bigger the dragon, the bigger the treasure.

Our actions or inactions determine our destinies. If we stay in our heads, we’re dead. When we adventure with our hearts, life becomes a playful art. Thinking doesn’t actually kill us; however, prolonged rumination stifles progress forward. Exploring with our hearts, by way of our bodies, galvanizes feelings of freedom, liberty, and meaning. Would we rather be safe or be free?

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The Alchemist, a book by Paulo Coelho that has sold over 150 million copies, vividly displays the importance of leading one’s life through his or her heart. After reading it again recently, I decided to write down several of my favorite lines:

• “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
• “Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”
• “People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being.”
• “Making a decision is only the beginning of things.”
• “The closer one gets to realizing his personal legend, the more that personal legend becomes his true reason for being.”
• “People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they want.”
• “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
• “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”
• “Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the world.”
• “Why do we have to listen to our hearts? Because the heart is where all our treasure is.”
• “Life attracts life.”
• “The language all understands ~ the purest language of the world: love.”
• “You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his personal legend; if he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love.”
• “Why do people love? Because that’s the only true way to understand the soul of the world.”
• “There’s only one way to learn — it’s through action.”
• “Live out your personal legend, don’t just seek it.”
• “Listen to your heart — it knows all things because it came from the soul of the world and one day it will return there.”
• “The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself; no heart has suffering when it goes in search of its dreams… because every second of the search is an encounter with God and with eternity.”
• “Everything that happens once, can never happen again; but, everything that happens twice, will surely happen a third time.
• “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation.”
• “Why do we have to follow our dreams? Because that’s what we were put on earth to do.”
• “It’s true: life really is generous to those who pursue their personal legend.”

The last bullet is one of the last lines in the book. Isn’t that a cool idea, how life has the capacity to be generous to those in pursuit of their purpose?

Call to Action: if any of these quotes particularly resonated with you, please email me (mark@markglicini.com) which one and why!

Any message about pursuit of purpose would be incomplete without mentioning the principal manuscript on the matter, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankle. As a survivor of Nazi concentration camps and the founder of logo-therapy, Frankle’s book emphasizes how we always choose our attitudes, regardless of circumstances. It is our choice to see events negatively or optimistically. It is our choice to seek work worth doing or embody nihilism. It is our choice to focus on the uplifting powers of purpose and meaning or to concentrate what we do not have.

When we only pay attention to ourselves and what we do not yet have, we feel miserable. However, when we take care of a plant, a pet, another person or a community, we find reason for living — the essence of logo-therapy. Why strive? Why continue on? Why pursue a dream amidst uncertainty? Because “he or she who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” 

Purpose makes life worthwhile.

A better life comes from better reasons.

Our best life comes from the best reason—the pursuit of our own personal legend.

Beyond prediction and protection, we ought to discover why we are here. To ultimately complete our own personal legend, where should we start? Inside.

What do we really want, and why? Our personalities shed light on our values, and our values highlight a road to purpose. Our purpose is realized by understanding who we are, by figuring out what matters most to our true authentic selves, and by exploring where we must go to fulfill our own hero’s journey. Our deepest need might just be: the necessity of pursuit. 

Are we in procrastination or in pursuit?

Are we staying in our heads or adventuring with our hearts?

What, specifically to us, is worth striving for?