Cris Duncan, 2021 TPPA President

Every human being has a desire, a picture of the place they wish to be and the dreams they want consummated. However, when encountered by challenges and struggles, the common tendency is to give up and assume that it wasn’t meant to be. All the while, it is in the journey of trials and obstacles that our true wealth and greatness is discovered.

Refer back to some visionaries of the past. Columbus encountered tempest of the seas, death and came ashore hundreds of miles from his planned destination. Edison failed over 1000 times while trying to create the light bulb. The Wright bothers were told constantly they could not achieve flight and after hundreds of failed attempts finally proved it possible for a mere 97 seconds. The first manned Apollo mission ended in tragedy as 3 men lost their lives before ever leaving Earth.

I believe it safe to assume you are reading this using electric light in the New World. I assume you have flown for more than a few minutes and you can probably recite Neil Armstrong’s words as he set foot on the moon. All dreams, all challenged and ultimately, all successes.

This page isn’t large enough to list the countless other examples of men and women who have faced burdens they eventually conquered. My fear is that there are just as many who gave up not realizing their goal was just around the corner, just within the grasp of triumph.

The final message I wish to leave with you is— “Don’t Despise the Pursuit.”

The past few years have showed us that we are not immune from trials, that we are not free from failure and disappointments. The key is to remember that these failures and disappointments are not what define us but rather what refines us. It is within the journey that the skills and knowledge are developed and we can come through on the other side.

In the historical examples above it is too easy to remember the final outcomes and not the processes along the way. After all, that is what we tend to celebrate, the successful outcomes. I believe we should also celebrate the pursuit and the journey. The trials that we face are nothing more that gifts— gifts sent to increase your skill, knowledge and leadership. They are the catalyst that allow you to develop and release your unique gift in the world. My friends, embrace these moments. You are too valuable to give up. The world needs what you have to offer and the journey has just begun.

I close with a quote from Winston Churchill that I believe sums it up better than I ever could.
“Every day you make progress. Every step may be fruitful, yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know that you will never get to the end of the journey, but this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”

Happy Creating,

Cris Duncan
TPPA President