Climbing Up From the Middle

I love the stories of people who work their way up from nothing to build something great or accomplish some phenomenal feat. Someone who seems to have everything against him but overcomes tremendous adversity to succeed in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. It’s the underdog story.

We love to hear about the courage of someone who was backed up against the ropes of life and must fight through their circumstances. Someone at rock bottom and the only way out is up. Existing in a living hell, they manage to see hope and follow that light until they have battled their way to a new life.

But what if you aren’t walking through hell? What if you can coast through a comfortable, reasonably successful life? What if you aren’t broke, living on the streets and trying to start a company or a social movement because really, you have nothing to lose? What if you have a six-figure income, a house in a nice neighborhood and a cushy lifestyle? Will you risk that to try for something even greater because you feel it’s what you were called to do? Would you step out from the crowd and walk into the arena to fight even when you have a choice to remain a spectator? Do you have the courage to step off the cleared, manicured path towards security for the chance to blaze your own trail through a dark forest because you know there is something more fulfilling on the other side?

Please don’t think for a second that I am undermining the journey of those who have fought their way out of misery and oppression to create something amazing, but you also can’t afford to ignore the people who have chosen to step into the fray, despite having the option to remain in pleasant and calm circumstances. The ones who’ve made a decision to leave comfort and security behind because they were called and compelled to chase something even greater; something they couldn’t find on the cleared path.

Comments

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on

Glutton for Punishment

I’ve learned over the years that being comfortable can be a dangerous thing. I try to find paths to discomfort to push me out of my realm of “safety.” However, I have noticed my ability to develop comfort zones amidst discomfort. I’ve found ways to be comfortable in uncomfortable circumstances. I wonder, do I need to be stretched beyond those areas as well? One of the areas in which I have adapted to the discomfort is the gym. I don’t go to the gym to exercise, to get stronger or even to be healthier. It’s grown beyond that. Now, I go to the gym to clear my head by testing my will and resolve. I do it to see how hard I can push my limits and I strive to outwork everyone else there. I may not be the strongest, the fastest or the fittest. I may not lift the most weight or even do the most reps – I can’t control any of those variables – but I can control my effort. So one of my goals for each workout is to unleash more effort than anyone else at the gym. But along with this

Commitment

You know what the problem is with a lot of goals and grand plans? They are mostly fueled by emotion rather than commitment. It is why most New Year’s Resolutions are long forgotten by now and many aspirations quietly fizzle out over time. True commitment is sticking with the effort even – if and especially when – the emotion has diminished or disappeared. Emotion can be a great initiator of action, like kindling on a fire, but it lacks staying power. Commitment is the logs that keep the fire burning long after the kindling is consumed. The butterflies after falling in love, the best intentions of waking up at 4:30am every day to work out after you join a new gym, the excitement of your first day on campus, even the sleep-deprivation induced euphoria of a new baby: all kindling. But it is commitment that keeps you working hard on the marriage twenty-three years after “I do.” It is what causes you to keep going when you do not want to make one more sales call, do one more presentat

Mindset Matters

Search This Blog