a bell tolled in the afternoon outside
those that had stayed behind noticed the
tenor of the room drastically changed
they slowly stood up from wherever they
were sitting and they walked over to the
large picture window and looked up
sullenly at what could have been see
earlier that morning they had gathered
at the base of a mountain that was so
picturesque Ansel Adams himself would
have been jealous they took their
selfies and their group picture and they
began their journey toward the summit
together
at first they were talkative at an
energetic pretty soon the cold had just
worn deep into their bones and they
found themselves as they were trudging
through the powdery snow but their legs
had grown weary about noon they came to
this quaint alpine cottage they walk
inside and see this roaring fire and
they warmed themselves and sit down to
eat their lunch once their full and
comfortable less than half the group
decides to continue their ascent toward
the summit and now the Belle had told
those that remained behind were faced
with the reality that they would never
finish what they had set out for early
that morning instead they sacrificed
that experience for only temporary
comfort I heard that story over 20 years
ago from one of my mentors and the
lesson at the time was very clear Craig
don't allow your life to sink into
mediocrity you have to remember why you
started your climb in the first place
see nobody intends to be halfway up a
rugged mountain this time for me was
different
I had faced these moments halfway up a
rugged mountain many times over and over
in my life and yet here I was my life I
remember where I was I remember what I
was doing I remember what I was wearing
when I was faced with the question that
changed the trajectory of my life when
that life was out of control
not like complete chaos but almost like
I didn't have a say in where I was
headed maybe you can relate and it was
this painfully simple question that
changed everything for me and it's the
same question I'm gonna challenge each
of us in this room to ask ourselves you
ready
what do I want I know I can't believe
that I never asked this question or
honestly answered it until I was in my
mid-30s
I stood there dumbfounded and notice I I
carefully crafted this right what do I
want not what does somebody else want of
me or for me or what's my religious
tradition expect of me or what should I
want but what do I want really when I
was a teenager I was taught over and
over that my desires were meant to be
tamed but now I've come to believe that
our deepest desires are not meant to be
tamed but unleashed the word mediocre
actually comes from two Latin words the
first is Medi which means middle part
way halfway
the other is okras which means rugged
mountain again no one intends to find
themselves halfway up a rugged mountain
but my life hadn't sunk into mediocrity
that's not really where I found myself I
had simply forgotten my why and that's
what revelation really does for us it
brings clarity I never finished my
metaphoric climb I walked away I stopped
and I didn't look longingly toward the
top see I had a new direction
I had clarity of purpose there was a new
mountain that I was to climb so my
friends when you find in your life that
you are just going through the motions
or maybe your life feels out of control
and there's no end in sight
I want to challenge you to stop and ask
yourself the clarifying question because
sometimes you need to remember why you
are climbing so you can finish strong
and sometimes you find yourself halfway
up a rugged mountain that you were never
meant to climb in the first place thank
you
[Applause]