Finding Your Everest
The following is shared with permission by Joe Pulizzi. When I read this from Joe last week, it immediately hit me and was something I knew I had to share. As with Joe, I tend to be more willing to take risks, but so many people struggle with the fear of “failure” or even the fear of “success.” (This is me sometimes, too!) The idea of living “in the middle” is so prevalent. Maybe YOU can relate?
Colin is a professional endurance athlete, which means he does things that most people can’t, like climb Mount Everest or walk across Antarctica.
He mentioned an idea that has fascinated me for days.
He said that most people live their lives on a scale between a four and a six. So, on a 10-point scale, one being the worst possible day and 10 being the best possible day, Colin believes that most people never get too high or too low.
Is he right? Frankly, I don’t know…but it did get me asking myself if I take enough risks?
Maybe I’m not doing enough. Maybe I could be doing more. Am I afraid to take certain risks? Am I so afraid of a one I’m unwilling to go for a 10?
Not five minutes after I listened to Colin make his little speech with Joe Rogan, I accidentally pulled this quote from my cluttered desk:
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
- Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (1923-1929)
“Everything is impossible until it happens.” – Nelson Mandela