“Life is not going to pick us up when we fall. There will be forks in the road, knives in your f*cking back, mountains to climb, and we are only capable of living up to the image we create for ourselves. Prepare yourself!”
David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me
Beyond the Quote (Day 397)
Before you take your car on a road trip, you get the engine checked. It wouldn’t be wise to drive a car that needed an oil change, fluids replenished, and parts replaced. Mostly because a road trip is an adventure and with adventure comes unknown setbacks, challenges, obstacles, etc. Having an unchecked engine would only contribute to the number of issues that might arise. And the goal isn’t to maximize the number of issues—the goal is to minimize them so you can focus your attention elsewhere—say, on the scenery of the drive. Well, your “why” is the engine for the journey of your life.
And when it comes to moving forward, in any aspect of life, you should always start your journey by getting your “why” properly inspected. Whether it’s a journey to become healthier, wealthier, more wise, whatever—your “why” is what will motivate you to get up and drive even when you don’t want to. It’s what will pull you through “road blocks” and excuses. It’s what will give you the courage to proceed and be bold, even when the driving gets a little risky or dangerous. But, if your “why” is weak, your engine will fail. And your journey will come to a screeching halt.
This is most people’s problem: their “why” is weak. At least compared to the challenges of their journey. Why else would so many people fail to complete their goals? If their “why” was bigger than their excuses, they would carry on. If their “why” was stronger than the hills of adversity, their engine would keep driving. If their “why” was smoother than the muck on the road, their gears would continue to turn. But, for most, this simply isn’t the case.
So, what to do? Either you check the status of your engine and invest what’s necessary to upgrade it or you drive your car at the speed and in the terrain it’s better suited to handle. Staying stalled on the side of the road isn’t an option. You either have to revert back home or continue moving forward to your destination. The side of a highway is no place to live. Now, in order to check the status of your engine, you have to ask the right questions. Here are some examples:
Whose idea was it to go on this journey? Yours? Or did someone else tell you to go? Are you on this journey for superficial reasons (social media reactions) or for deeply personal reasons (self-love)? Is this journey more important to you or to others? What would be the consequence of not completing this journey? Would going back to where you started really upset you or leave you comfortable? Is the pain caused by the idea of not completing your journey bigger or smaller than the pain required to do the journeying now? Is there any urgency or can this journey be done later?
To be clear, stalling on a journey isn’t the exception—it’s the norm. We all stall out at some point or another. Either our ambitions are too big for the car we’re driving in or we didn’t properly care for our engine to handle the challenges of the road. And what’s silly, is that most of us, I suspect, don’t even know what kind of car—let alone what kind of engine—we’re even driving in! It’s no wonder stalling is so common. In order to ensure the smoothest ride, we have to do the necessary prep work, invest properly, identify our engine’s capabilities, and drive on the road best suited for us. It’s how all of the most wonderful road trips begin—and end.
This post became the afterword for: 18 Quest Inspiring Chris Guillebeau Quotes From The Happiness Of Pursuit
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