What an awesome way to start a year. Going up. A friend of mine has GOANDDO stamped on his license plate. There is some history behind that phrase, drawn from a book we have both read, and it has stuck with me for years. It is a small thing to see on the back of a truck, and it carries a whole philosophy.
Have Experiences That Give You Energy
I still had a few hours left to nail down my objectives for the year, but I already knew one of them. Get out and do things. Have experiences that bring me energy instead of draining it. So many men let their best years slide by on the couch, comfortable and slowly shrinking. Not this year. I have wanted to hike the hill behind my house for a long time, and today was finally the day. We did not make it all the way to the top. We are a little older and a little thicker around the middle than we used to be. But we went, and we did. That counts. It always counts.
The Right Path Is Always Uphill
Another friend posted a quote that same day. The right path is always uphill. I believe that completely, and I have tested it enough to trust it. As much as there are things in all of our lives that feel hard and heavy, there is real beauty and fulfillment waiting at the end of the climb, but only if you can trust that good things are almost never easy. The easy road and the right road are rarely the same road. When you find yourself straining, that is often the first sign you are finally pointed in the right direction.
So I am going to embrace the suck that is coming, because that is exactly what will make me stronger. I have got plenty of flaws. There are parts of my own life I am working on every single hour, and I am not pretending to write this from the summit. That year had been amazing in some ways and downright tragic in others, the way real years tend to be. I chose to look at the new one as a chance to return to my purpose.
That is the invitation, no matter what month you happen to read this. Pick the uphill thing. Go do it before you feel ready. Let us help each other ascend instead of comparing couches. This life was made for you and me. Now go and do.