“It’s impossible,” said pride.
“It’s risky,” said experience.
“It’s pointless,” said reason.
“Give it a try,” whispered the heart.
I hope you all try for a goal that is a bit of a reach this cross country season. Really try for the goal–not just idle wishing about ‘wouldn’t it be great if I could do x or y‘–I mean really try, really commit to working hard towards a tough goal. There is no downside to trying for a goal that seems a little beyond your grasp. As you push your body outside your physical comfort zone, your body will rush to adapt and evolve to be stronger and faster. Even if you do not achieve your goal, you will be rewarded with a stronger and fitter body–and the knowledge that you gave your best for something.
Even more, the psychic experience of reaching outside your comfort zone is valuable. Many of the great things you try to do in your life–leaving home to attend a top-ranked college hundreds of miles away, working towards a post-graduate degree, writing a play or inventing something new–will have some risk attached. When my partners and I started our first company, we had to visit more than fifteen venture companies to find three that would invest in us–the rest of the companies told us that our plan would fail. It would have been easy for us to decide not to start that company, but something inside of us kept whispering ‘give it a try’.
The upcoming cross country season is a good time for to practice listening to the whisper that tells you to go for it, to try for something that is a bit of a reach, make a whole-hearted effort toward a stretch goal that will make you proud.
