Doing Hard Things

I choose to DO hard things. 

Look, I already know what I can do. And we can all try things. And yes, to some extent there is still a challenge in doing those things. I even struggle with some of them still. But I want to discover what else I can do. I want to challenge myself. I want to grow. I want to live more, do more, and be more. Wanna come along for the ride? Ready for the journey? Let’s go!

        So why hard things? Why choose to do hard things? . . . and this is a choice. Well before Sir Edmund Hillary conquered Everest in 1953, he was . . . Edmund Hillary - sans Sir. The mountain was there eons before his climb and it will continue to stand supreme for time to come. But just like the mountain, his accomplishment is forever. He saw something as of yet unconquered and chose to defeat it. But in so doing he accomplished something more personal, something more impressive than a mountain. Later he said, "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

In doing hard things we indeed conquer ourselves. We conquer those areas we may not like or areas we wish to knock the rough edges off of. And let's not get too carried away into believing that we have to perfectly conquer the challenges we take on. Attempting anything hard is an accomplishment! Doing nothing, not trying is failure. Too many sit on the sidelines, wanting to join the throngs, but they hold back. Fearful of taking the risk. Too afraid. Too afraid to fail, and too afraid to even try.

        Look to Martin Luther King, Jr. He dedicated his life to a cause that not only blessed and improved the lives of black Americans, but all Americans, and mankind as a whole. Safe would have been sitting back, reasoning that someone else would stand for justice. He could have argued that there were simpler, safer fights to engage in. And let's remember it was Dr. King who said, "I have a dream . . ." not "I have a wish" or "I've put some thoughts together" or even, "Wouldn't it be cool if . . ." Then he delivered on that dream, a dream that cost him his life.

"Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered -- either by themselves or by others"-Mark Twain. And we could add "Visionaries, Adventurers, Scholars, Inventors, Musicians, Artists, Explorers, Be-ers, and Doers." What if Columbus arrived in the new world, took a glance, then uttered, "Close enough, now let’s go home." 

        Mother Theresa, Ferdinand Magellan, Henry Ford, Rosa Parks, Walt Disney, the Wright Brothers, and so many, many more - pick your favorite. They all have one thing in common: they chose to do the scary, the impossible, the once unconquerable. They chose to challenge what others thought couldn't be done, maybe even shouldn't be done. They chose to do hard things . . .

This isn't a call for the next Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, or George Lucas, or even Einstein. We don't need more of them anyhow - they had their shot, their time. There's only one YOU. This is YOU time! It's time to be the next best YOU, YOU can become.

        To be sure, DOING hard things requires courage, faith, passion, desire, love, hope, and patience. Yea I know, patience. Ugh! Sorry. And DOING difficult things can be scary. But any other way and everyone would be doing hard things. And they would no longer be called Hard Things. They would simply be Things. Boring. There wouldn't be any risk, no challenge, no gain. There would be no inner discovery and most importantly, no personal growth.

Tomorrow is a new day. What hard things will you engage in? Maybe it will be getting out of bed when the alarm sounds. Hey, it's got to start somewhere. Maybe it will be asking that girl out (for you women, ask him out). Maybe it will be a mile, a marathon, a triathlon. Maybe it will be Everest or your Everest. Regardless what it is, get up, get out, get moving. It's time to DO!

"Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward . . ." -Thomas Edison.  Edison is famous for many things: the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the electric light bulb. But for all his accomplishments, he's equally famous for his perseverance amid his so called "failures."

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
 

He famously added, "None of my inventions came by accident. I see a worthwhile need to be met and I make trial after trial until it comes. What it boils down to is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration."

        And consider this, what if Edison hadn't dedicated himself to hard work and invented the light bulb. Well, we'd still have the light bulb, but instead of it being an Edison invention, they history books would credit someone else. Someone willing to DO the Work.

A word of caution though. As we begin this journey of challenging ourselves, we cannot neglect other areas of our lives that are strong. I love the gym. But if I work just my right arm, the muscles of my left arm will atrophy and weakness will set in. We can not neglect our strengths while working on our weaknesses. And in our personal discovery, we will uncover weaknesses. During these moments, we must also allow for times of so-called "failure." Or to follow Edison, we need to find ways to improve after finding what doesn't work. And then keep trying and doing.

        One final thought from the spiritual side: The apostle James admonishes all to “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.” Contrast that with the Lord’s words in modern scripture: Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.” (D&C 42:42.) Putting these words to actions, we learn just that, now is the time to get up and get doing.   

So once again, what will you Invent today . . . ?

or Discover
or Create
or Photograph
or Compose
or Write . . .

Whatever you do, challenge yourself,
but challenge yourself in doing hard things.

I try because I can. I do because I am.


Be Good!