Good thing there isn’t a shortage of great challenges in the world!
The question then becomes do we want to follow in the footsteps of those gone before, or blaze a new trail on our own? While accomplishing anything on this list would be the top of the bucket list for many, some of us will chose to go after challenges never attempted, or perhaps never completed. ‘Adventure’ takes many forms – but our internal drive will dictate the level we chose to take it to. Every challenge I have put myself through has been previously accomplished by others. The future will have some which have been accomplished, but mainly I want to strive for obstacles which have never been completed.
People always ask, “What’s next?” or “What are you going to do after you complete the ‘Oceans Seven’?” While many close to me wish I would settle down, there is a part of me which will never quit tackling more difficult and seemingly insurmountable tasks in order to continue driving the Team Forever charitable mission. The future is going where others have never gone. We have some great plans in place, and rest assured, I do not feel I can ever be someone who limits their ability by settling down when I have already been exposed to living life the best way I know how.
Some of us are just programmed differently, and those who cannot grasp that concept, or understand is perfectly acceptable – how can someone understand how we think when they have not been through what we have? These challenges have made me a much stronger, and more confident person to know there is nothing out there not within my grasp. It is the greatest feeling I know to throw myself into something which hurts more than anything, and come out the other side with a smile on my face and welcomed ‘positive scars’ on my soul.
Whatever you want to achieve, give it your best shot for payback for being given the gift of a life that others have not had the chance to experience. Any day might be our last – is this how you want it to end? When you take that concept to heart, you will understand how people like us think. We want to challenge ourselves to see what we are made of, and frankly, we may never truly understand the full capability of our lives, but we will know that we are all capable of something so much more intense than what we might have previously known.
If you are perfectly content with living how you are, then that is great to know you have achieved the pinnacle of success in your life. If not, then see for yourself what you can accomplish – it will not happen by wishing or dreaming. It can only happen when you leave the footprints in the sand toward the path you want to pursue. Get out there and make some memories you can pass along to your lineage in the next generation. My vision of a rocking chair, a handful of grandchildren and some stories they can open their eyes to is what drives me. Pay it forward – give them something to grab on to and never let go.
Inspiring others to achieve their dreams is the greatest imprint we can leave on this world.