Trust The Struggle
In 1911, two explorers, Amundsen and Scott, set out on a race against each other to become the first human beings to set foot upon the southernmost point of Earth, the South Pole. Amundsen wished to plant the Norwegian flag on behalf of his country, while Scott hoped to stake his claim for England.
The journey there and back from their base camps was about 1,400 miles, which is roughly equivalent to a hike from Denver, CO to Atlanta, GA. Both men would be traveling the same exact distance on foot through extremely cold and harsh weather conditions. Both men were equally equipped with experience, supplies, and a supporting team of fellow explorers. But what wasn’t certain is how each of them would approach the inevitable challenges they faced on the difficult journey ahead.
Amundsen and Scott took entirely different strategies to the very same challenges. Scott directed his team to hike as far as possible on the good weather days and then rest on bad weather days to conserve energy. Amundsen directed his team to follow a strict regimen of consistent daily progress by hiking exactly 20 miles every day, regardless of weather conditions. Even on the warmest, clear-sky days, when Amundsen’s team was capable of hiking much farther, Amundsen was absolutely adamant that they travel no more than 20 miles to conserve their energy for the following day’s hike.
Which team succeeded in the end? Amundsen and his team succeeded. Amundsen's team took consistent daily action. Sadly, Scott and his team passed away due to extreme fatigue.
What can we learn?
Did you know that what we do EVERY day defines us? Over the years, I've learned that daily challenges, those hard and difficult things to press through, have been very responsible for my current growth.
It's so easy to put the hard things off until tomorrow. We get used to the idea that things should be easier than they are, and that waiting another day or two makes the best sense. Trust me, this is the way to developing a bad habit called laziness and lack of drive. Laziness and lack of drive has NEVER helped one human being ... EVER!
I think it's important to learn to do hard things to be happy, healthy and successful. Why? Because the hard things ultimately build you up and change your life.
Who's with me? Let's get going!!!!!!!