I sat at the kitchen table this morning, helping my daughter finish up her explorer project. She had to do research on three explorers; two from the past, and one could be from modern times. She selected Richard Branson for his Virgin Galactic project for her modern person. Once again, she's proven she is SO my kid.
She showed me a video about Branson's program into space, which opens with the famous speech by John F. Kennedy about our space program in the 1960's. In it, he mentions the quote made famous by George Mallory in 1923 before attempted to climb Mt. Everett for the third time. When asked why he chose to do this again, after two failed attempts and no one ever having been successful before, he asked simply, "Because it's there."
My mother would say this was cavalier. She also might suggest you might hear something like this come out of my mouth.
George Mallory wasn't just being flippant, however. He went on to explain that “Everest is the highest mountain in the world, and no man has reached its summit. Its existence is a challenge. The answer is instinctive, a part, I suppose, of man’s desire to conquer the universe.”
I get that. And I get that JFK then went on to announce we would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, those thing resonate with me. They are statements not just made with bravado and courage, but with passion and a sheer will to succeed what is assumed to be unachievable.
Mallory lost his life in his quest to scale Everett. And obviously we got to the moon. In the 1990's, Jim Collins wrote a book called Built to Last that referred to goals such as this as BHAGS. Big Hairy Audacious Goals. It's not just a regular old goal. It's something clear and compelling, and it serves as a unifying focal point of effort. It ultimately serves as a rallying point of team spirit, with a clear finish line. (e.g. man on the moon by end of the decade) One of my old companies adored BHAGS. And in turn, I began to embrace the concept for myself as a way to keep my personal bar high.
I suppose this 365 Day Experiment is an example of a personal BHAG. For the historically private me to commit to do something so public - every single day - for an entire year...that's quite a goal to commit to. It's certainly no scaling Everett, but for me, the sense of self-learning and sense of accomplishment is pretty large, even though I'm only 1/3 of the way through. I'm eager to see how I feel when I reach the summit.
Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I was not driven like this. What if I was one of those people that came home from my job and never thought of work again until I showed up at my desk again the following morning. What if I woke up on the weekend and just meandered through the days puttering about, just enjoying whatever the day would bring. And then I think, I would not recognize that woman. While I certainly buy into the need to slow down and enjoy my time off, I like the person I am. I enjoy my active mind, and am motivated by my need to set goals and accomplish the new bars I constantly set for myself.
And at the end of the day, that's what it's all about isn't it? We have to like who we are before others can like us back. I sat next to one of my best friend's husband's this afternoon watching their daughter in a play, and he gave me gently ribbing about my series of bad dates of late. And as we joked, I came to formulate my latest BHAG, designed purely for myself. 2013 was the year of transition. I will be damed if I have another year of "transition." So, in the spirit of Mallory, Kennedy and Branson, I throw down my own gauntlet.
I will identify "my person" by the end of 2014.
Not out of desperation, or out of settling, or any of the other nonsense. I'll do the hard time, and go on the lousy dates to find him. Because I know I'm better as part of a team. And I know if there's someone like me single, there's got to be someone as out there who will appreciate me. Another friend suggested the other day "he will find you." Bullshit. I'm not a kid hanging out in bars anymore, and I'm not looking to hook up. What you are truly looking for in life takes hard work and effort. And like everything in my life that I have wanted to achieve, I work hard for. And it's always been worth it. And yes, I get you can't time box love - but that is why it's a BHAG.
I thrive on having goals. :)
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