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Week 13: Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals and Why Hope is a Terrible Strategy
My wife returned from work travel this past Saturday, and there was much rejoicing by all, including the doggo.
The next day was glorious and full of warm Fall sunshine. We took the kids to Kings Island, a local amusement park. We rode some rides, did some Halloween activities, ate lunch (with extra ice cream) and explored the spooky park decorations.
I often wonder what those boys will remember when they’re older. What they’ll tell their kids one day if so blessed.
Questions that will take years or decades to know the answers.
Plant good seeds.
Philosophical Dad Stuff
How much is too much when it comes to parenting?
How much is too little?
While I think we can all conjure up images of the extremes for both, most folks rightly fall somewhere in the middle.
In my own case, for better or worse, I’ve tried to be present as much as possible while being as laissez-faire as possible. I want my children to be independent; to think and act for themselves in a world ruled by advertising telling them they need to be a certain way to think, feel, or be successful. I also want them to feel out the world on their own terms, to be exposed to as much as possible in a natural way.
Okay, fine.
But I’m starting to think this isn’t enough.
It seems like we live in a world where skills, abilities, and resilience are rarer by the day.
How do we instill these in our children while still allowing them to “be kids”, have fun, and discover the world on their own terms?
There’s certainly no easy answer there.
But it sounds like a worthy adventure.
Leadership
It’s been a fascinating year in sales leadership, and one fraught with lessons for the future.
I meant to write about trust in our teams tonight. My team has really come together as a group and is putting up really great results right now. It’s gratifying and it’s why I wanted to get into leadership.
Winning is fun, but doing it together is when things get special.
But last week, I reconnected with a writing friend, and she dropped a link to her newsletter, which I went to check out. It turns out that her most recent post was a vision board of sorts.
And I don’t mean the rinky-dink bullshit you do in high school.
This one was baller.
It was truly visionary. It was audacious. It was bold.
Her goals were daring and adventurous. Some were heroic.
And to achieve any of them would have been transcendent.
Last week I wrote about how setting better goals often leads to getting a better life. But I immediately felt my goals were small and provincial by comparison.
Her goals were just about her own personal achievement or enrichment, although there was naturally a little of that. They were for the betterment of others. Of society. Of humanity even.
Time to reassess and think bigger.
Couch to Ultramarathon
While running last weekend, I was feeling a bit low-energy. It was about 10 miles in, and only had a couple more to go.
I should have been excited to get it done, but my weak-bitch mind was coming up with excuses.
My knee and my feet were aching a bit, as they had all week. They’re the first real signs of the increased toll that preparing for a long-distance event can take on a 40-year dude that was on the couch 4 months ago.
I started thinking stuff like, “I hope my knee can take it. I hope this goes away. I hope I’ve got what it takes. I hope the weather is good that day”
Then it hit me.
Hope ain’t gonna get you shit on this one buddy.
But what might help me out is proper training, proper recovery, proper nutrition and hydration.
And the best part of each of those factors is they’re totally within my control. Preparation reduces the element of chance playing a factor in my success or failure.
Hope is not a strategy.
Action is.
Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground. There's no greater investment. - Stephen Covey
Live triumphantly. See you next week.