24 hours per day.
That’s all you get.
And you are already committing six to eight to sleeping.
And then you have a mortgage, bills, putting food on the table…
So you have to commit another eight to working at a job.
Not leaving much room to make other commitments.
Like art and community and connection…
There are only so many commitments one can make.
Choose wisely.
If you are saying yes to this what are you saying no to?
We know this. Which is why it is so unique for someone to purposely throw themselves into an even more difficult position. Rare indeed. It is also the path of a warrior.
2. The work is a process.
It never ends. One step in front of the next. It’s about developing a posture that, “People like us can do hard stuff like this.”
3. What you bring to showtime are the same qualities you have cultivated during your practice runs.
When we take things serious, serious results can occur. None of it matters unless we show up.
At the end of the nineteenth century, London had a huge problem. They didn’t know where to put all the manure from the horses they had. The place had become so unlivable that their citizens were completely panicking.
Little did they know that right around the corner, a car was being produced that would solve their immediate problem. (Eventually, creating a new one with dirty air.)
The problem wasn’t the manure. The problem was they had a hard time imagining a world that didn’t exist yet.
It turns out, the same is true today. What stands in the way of the question, “What could be?” is that we rely too much on the information on hand.
Yes, the collection of knowledge is growing exponentially. Every day. Yet, there is still more information waiting to be discovered. What we don’t know far outweighs what we do know.
It’s important to remember that suicide prevention isn’t just posting the hotline number. Still an important step to get the information out there, for sure. But…
Suicide prevention is providing health care.
Suicide prevention is providing mental health services.
Suicide prevention is also providing food, education, recreation opportunities, support groups, jobs with dignity…
The number one cause of death for teens in Utah is suicide. There is a lot of work to do here folks.
There is a system error when the answer to prevent suicide is to check in on your friends.
[Edit: I recently helped a teen get connected to the hotline and was surprised to discover that when you call a human doesn’t pick up the phone. Instead, you are routed through a system until you find someone to connect to. What a shame. We need to connect to people in these intense moments. Still so much work ahead.]
There is a clear line here.
If you are sport climbing at your local crag, you are not wondering if you are going to make it down this alive.
If you were to climb the K2 in the middle of winter, life is in the balance.
You can do things for sport that can require a large demonstration of athleticism. But it may not be an adventure.
An adventure may mean hiking out in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service and now the weather is coming in.
One problem we have in our culture today is our lack of adventure. We don’t throw ourselves into circumstances like this regularly anymore. Our world has become very tame.
And yet, COVID-19 has thrown everyone in for a loop. There might be room for an adventure if you are looking for it.
(Of course, I am not just talking about climbing. You can also write a book or start a new career, learn a new skill…lots of room here.)
Note: The internet and Google have taken much of the adventure out of things.
As Fall Classes begin, I hope our students remember:
You have more power than you can imagine, act accordingly.
One bad chapter doesn’t mean the story is over.
Every passing moment is a chance to turn it all around.
Live a life others may emulate.
Be missed when you are gone.
Fail, fail again, fail better.
Be grateful and generous.
Each of us faces Resistance.
Sometimes in the form of substance abuse or social media or “down time.”
Either way, it is keeping us from being the person we were born to be.
The only antidote to procrastination is to do something.
Do.
Do!
It doesn’t cost twice as much to go twice as fast.
Look at how much it takes to send a package or to run a mile.
The effort is exponential the faster things go.
Which means we can’t go at that neck breaking speed forever.
Choose your spots.
The first stands in hopes of winning.
While the second by fear of losing.
One steps into the unknown in hopes of a better future. The other wants to keep things as is.
As social scientists have discovered, losing hurts worse than winning feels good.
The selfish marketer knows this and uses it to their advantage.
Buyer beware.
Here is the thing about regrets:
The moment we start behaving in a way that is inline with our principles is the moment our backpacks become a bit lighter.
