Going after what you love isn’t always easy. In fact, pursuing the highest version of yourself and your life is always the most difficult endeavor. It requires discipline and growth. You must be willing to plan, act, and face the unknown.

Cultivating and growing anything meaningful, whether it’s a business, a creative project, or a relationship, is going to push you outside your comfort zone. It can be arduous and intimidating at times, but it’s these very challenges that give your work meaning.

The archetype of the tortured artist is a great example of this process. Through the painful struggle to put something authentic and meaningful into the world, she discovers the gravity that defines her work. It isn’t the sunny days, but the nights filled with blood, sweat, and tears that endow her masterpiece with character and meaning. Fulfilling your personal mission is difficult, but you show up and face the task anyway. That’s how you know it’s meaningful.
 

This article is an excerpt from the book “The Whiteboard: Go from Blank Canvas to a Productive, Leveraged, & Highly-Profitable Business” by Chris Haddon and Jason Balin. Please click here to see more.