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.

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