Here be Dragons

This is a story about two young men, Alex and Bret Harris, twins, who, at the ripe old age of 16 achieved national recognition because of their movement to encourage teens to rebel against the modern teen culture of low expectations.  They started a simple blog and called their movement a “rebelution” spelled r.e.b.e.l. By the age of 18, they had launched their own website and their movement very quickly went worldwide.

At a time when most teenage blogs were and are little more than schoolyard gossip columns, these boys were talking about changing the world.  Most amazing was how they planned on doing so.  Their plan was wonderfully elegant in its simplicity.  They would change the world by changing themselves. They would become the best that they could be and invite the rest of the world to join them. They would… “Do Hard Things”.  This became their mantra and the title of their book.

If you were to ask them, they would be the first to tell you that they are not particularly more brilliant than other teens.  They have just committed to doing hard things, and their accomplishments represent the result of that simple commitment. Before their 19^th birthday, they had already become legal interns with the Alabama state supreme court and had been responsible for managing scores of grass roots volunteers in a statewide political campaign.

Stepping outside of their comfort zone, that comforting day to day rut of daily activities was the first and most important step. 

Taking those steps were no easier for them than they are for any of the rest of us, for a variety of reasons.  They challenge us because they are unfamiliar and are often frightening.  But when taken, they often become some of our proudest memories.  In any event, they always end up growing the scope and size of our comfort zone for the future.

Bret and Alex took that scary step into the unknown part of the map, at the very edge, where early cartographers wrote things like “here be monsters, here be flaming scorpions and here be dragons”.  This is the place of fear where failure, shame, embarrassment and discomfort lurk.  It is also the place where you find fulfillment, true accomplishment, pride and personal transformation.

It is truly embarrassing and very humbling to be reminded of that by a pair of 16 year olds.  It is a lesson I need to remember, whether it be in my personal endeavors or professional.  Whether regarding major life decisions or simple ones like the way to ask a customer for the business. Do our actions brighten our small corner of the world or darken it?

Modern culture seems to have accepted a scaled down version of how “your best effort” is defined.  Just think about the phrase, “Hey, I did my best”.  When you think about it, it is really more likely to mean “Hey, I gave it a shot. Oh well”.  Maybe my professional colleagues and I, as self–motivated sales reps, are better at this than most people but who knows.  Have all too many of us accepted a scaled down version of “our best effort”?   In the privacy of our own thoughts, only we know the honest answer to that question for ourselves.  Is our best, our best or is it just good enough to meet the basic expectations others require of us?  Society is perfectly happy with you if you meet expectations.  The real question you should ask yourselves is if you are happy with you!

So the message, as I see it, is to step off the map and visit the place where the scary dragons live, and do hard things.  It just may transform your life. 

Thank you everyone. Be inspired and have a great week.