Purpose creates meaning

Hunt for Greatness Milton Kamwendo

When change comes there is value in being flexible but remaining true to purpose. The growth mindset accommodates change and adapts. Purpose creates meaning. Rigidity creates fractures.

When the sense of purpose is lost, value is eroded and confidence is weakened. Passion, purpose and power are all milestones on the adaptive journey when the unexpected comes.

A bridge is meant for crossing and it is a purposeful investment that requires planning, technical expertise and execution.

No bridge must ever be built going nowhere.

If you find yourself with a bridge and no road, take massive action to build one. Change does not respect history and knows no boundaries.

Hunt for greatness with focus, purpose and enthusiasm.

Always be alert that the unexpected my come, but that should never take you off course permanently if you are willing to keep correcting the course.

Despite the turbulence keep your head clear and hold on to the sense of purpose. Intentionally focus on where you are going and be animated by purpose, watching out always for two important traps that could cripple you.

When headwinds come your way watch out for the failure and rigidity trap. Failure comes, it may not have been part the script, but it must never become a noun. You can describe failure, but refuse to call yourself a failure.

Failing means that you were willing to learn and try.

Failure means you had the courage to dare. Failure means you had faith, you too action and you really did something that you can learn from.

Learn from whatever happens and be willing to bounce back and keep on moving. Adapt to change and be always  alert that when change comes you need to keep moving.

Whenever you fail, fail forward and keep moving ahead.

The rigidity trap happens when you refuse to change or adapt. Remaining in denial that change has happened will not reverse the change.

A fixed mindset that remain rigid leads to many frustrations and confusion.

Change is happening and it will not stop. It is up to you to adapt, grow and learn.

You are as resilient as you are able to adapt and change course. Some lessons in life matter and if you do not learn to adapt when change comes you will keep repeating the class you are taking.

Do not get so wedded to the past that life loses meaning and direction.

When change stops, it means you are done and change has won.

Failure is the mother of innovation, while adaptation is the father of greatness. Use all the tools at your disposal and keep learning and growing.

In the city of Choluteca in Honduras, there is a bridge that is an important change metaphor and adaptation tale that rings with some important lessons on strategy, change, agility and adaptation.

The bridge is a failed success because of a failure to adapt.

Remaining stuck in a position could leave you irrelevant.

A strategy that takes you nowhere is a poor craft and unrewarded fiction.

All plans and bridges will always be tested, some are lucky enough to survive.

Between 1935 and 1937 a suspension bridge was built across the Choluteca river. This was the Old Choluteca Bridge built in an area that is susceptible to flooding, fiery hurricanes and other vagaries of weather. Overtime this bridge that controls traffic between Guatemala and Panamá became too small and dangerous to use.

Something had to be done to ensure that traffic, trade and order is maintained.

A strategy was muted to built a new bypass road and a second bridge that would be better, stronger and more resilient despite any weather extremes.

This new bridge would address the weaknesses of the old bridge and would use the latest technology deployed by a reputable Japanese firm.

The plans were set in motion, work was done and everyone was pleased but this was not the end.

Keep thinking and reflecting, always working to adapt, improve and make things better.

Do not be satisfied with the limitations of the past, or the present.

Do not be satisfied with a limited view of life. Be ready to adapt, renew and re-imagine your strategy.

Nothing remains the same forever, unless you adapt you will become extinct.

Change is the order of life.

Take massive adaptive action and keep thinking, working; always aware and alert to the signals of change, signs of shifts and serious inflexion points that may occur.

Expect the best, prepare for the worst and do your best, regardless.

In the 1990s, a new bypass road and a second bridge was planned for the city. The new Choluteca Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Rising Sun (Spanish: Puente Sol Naciente), was built by Hazama Ando Corporation between 1996 and 1998.

This was a great investment and bridge built with great hope, care and became the largest bridge constructed by a Japanese company in Latin America.

The bridge was built to withstand any extreme disruptions and it would prove its worth. There was hope and conviction that whatever happens hope would never be lost. The new bridge stood with pride and self-assurance.

In 1998, the bridge was commissioned for use, but regrettably Honduras was hit by the inclement and ruthless Hurricane Mitch.

Hurricane Mitch deposited 75 inches of rain in four days, equivalent to what they received in six months. Mitch left a trail of distraction and caused great damage to many installations, leaving the nation in great misery. River Choluteca flooded the country and over 7 000 people lost their lives.

It was the mother of all tests.

Bridges were destroyed except one. The old bridge that had been built in the 1930 was partially damaged. True to what had been predicted it was not robust enough, but that was not the full story.

The New Choluteca Bridge lived up to the engineering feat that had been claimed and survived with minor damage, bar one minor development.

The river that it straddled had a wild untamed mind of its own.

After Hurricane Mitch, the bridge itself was left in its mint and near perfect condition but the roads on either end of the bridge had completely vanished, leaving no visible trace of prior existence.

While the hurricane raged on the Choluteca River, which is over 100 metres at the bridge, carved a new pathway during the massive flooding.

The river did the unthinkable by changing its course.

It no longer flowed beneath the bridge, which now stood proudly on dry ground, but over no river.

The New Choluteca River Bridge that had been built with great care and pride to ensure that it is resilient got a new name.

From, “The Bridge of the Rising Sun” it quickly became known as “The Bridge to Nowhere”.

Others called it “The Bridge without a River”.

It was intact, right and inflexible and lost on purpose. The river changed course, forming a new channel.

It no longer flowed beneath the bridge.

The river flowed beside the bridge, making the bridge to nowhere and an important story and lesson about work, change, disruption, resilience and the pursuit of greatness.

Get settled on the meaning of what matters. Small battles that leave you frustrated and tired should not be part of your diet. Be purposeful and useful and always adapting to the change.

Break the cultural moulds that make you inflexible. Keep learning and growing. In the twists and turns of life keep your eyes on the way.

Ensure that your thinking is organised and channel your energy in the right way.

When the momentum of change comes you have to rebuild your bridges to ensure that you remain true to your purpose. Glance at the negative, but do not focus on it. Glance at the madness around you but do not lose your head or the plot. Purpose will keep you anchored.

Committed to your greatness.

Milton Kamwendo is a leading international transformational and motivational speaker, author, and growth mentor. He is a cutting-edge strategy, team-building and organisation development facilitator and consultant. His life purpose is to inspire and promote greatness. He can be reached at: [email protected] and His website is: www.miltonkamwendo.com