“The greatest punishment we can inflict on ourselves is to conspire in the diminishment of our own potential”
Like many out there, I bring my daughter to college for the first time today. For a whole lot of us, this creates an existential crisis where we ask, “Have I done everything to prepare her for life and have I done everything I can with my own?”
When Anthony Burgess, who wrote A Clockwork Orange, was 40 years old he was told that he had a brain tumor that would kill him within a year. With no money to leave his wife or family, he had always known there was a book in him that was never written. With a driving purpose to leave behind financial resources for his loved ones, he completed 5 ½ books during the year. During that time, his cancer actually went into remission and eventually was vanquished completely. Throughout the rest of his career, he wrote over 70 books. The un-tapped greatness in him that went on to define his entire life would have never come out of him if it were not for the threat of impending death.
It’s been said, “Nothing focuses the mind better than the knowledge that one will be hung at dawn.” While we’re mostly blessed with many years to come, life moves quickly. You only get one trip on this planet and one shot to use the time well; to its fullest. Each of us is given something great, something special, a gift that is to come out of us that will not only provide for the family; but could add value to many if not millions. As Parker Palmer, author of Let Your Life Speak states, “The greatest punishment we can inflict on ourselves is to conspire in the diminishment of our own potential.” It’s true, some of the people reading this are consciously or unconsciously working against fulfilling their own destiny. We keep the greatness trapped within us.
A well-known story shared, that after listening to his concert, a raving fan came up to world-famous violinist Fritz Kreisler and implored, “I’d give my whole life to play as beautifully as you do.” To which Kreisler replied, “I did.” What have you given your whole life to? What will define your brief trip to planet earth?
Famed author, Robert Quinn, who’s work I’ve grown to really enjoy, calls the steps we need to take to fully realize our potential, “deep change.” Deep change, as he puts it, is when we do the work to, “Clarify our deepest purpose, increase our integrity and authenticity, orient to the needs of others and find ways to co-create a better future. As a result, we change and so does our context. We begin to grow in self-respect and we recognize the expansion of our own potential.”
In one of my books, I had the opportunity for someone who is truly part of history contribute and give the book that something extra. The interview was from an explorer from Auckland, New Zealand. His name was Sir Edmund Hillary.
When Edmund Hillary was just thirty-two years old, he would climb to the top of Mount Everest, hoist high the British flag, and stand where no one had ever stood before. A year earlier, however, when he tried to achieve such a feat, he failed. When he returned and had a press conference, the people laughed at him. They said, “Edmund, you’ll never climb to the top. Everyone who’s ever tried is either up there dead or came back down in defeat.”
On that particular occasion, however, Edmund brought a large picture of Mount Everest and had it on the wall. He said, “I want you to see how big it is, and I want you to see how tall it is, but I want you to remember that Mount Everest stopped growing a long time ago.” He said, “I haven’t stopped growing yet. I’m going to get larger in my heart and my spirit.” Then he said, “A year from today, I will climb to the top of Mount Everest. I will hoist high that British flag, and I will stand where no one has ever stood before.”
A year later, May 29, 1953, he did just that.
From his story, I took that if you want to do something that has never been done before you have to be willing to go where no one has gone before. If you’ve been at this awhile and are wondering if it’s gotten too late, remember, what Anthony Burgess did when he found out he had only one year to live? You have hidden dreams and talents that have never been realized because they’ve never been tested? Do something that you and no one else has ever done before!
Age, by the way, should be no deterrent in the pursuit of your goals. A quick google search of those who achieved goals into their 90s found that at age 99, David Eugene Ray of Tennessee learned to read. At 91, Hulda Crooks climbed Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the continental U.S. At 97, Martin Miller of Indiana was working full time as a lobbyist for older citizens. (David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace, The People’s Almanac, 1993). I’ve done many triathlons, marathons, half marathons, 10Ks, and 5Ks and it is common to find people in their 80s and 90s successfully completing all of those races. In some cases, not just completing, but competing!
On the other hand, I run into people in their late 20s through their early 40s and 50s who believe they’re getting old, it’s too late to start something new, and they just lack the energy they once had. That is all a total lie. Ignore the lie and proceed with your deep change. You have plenty left in the tank and are capable doing much more than you have come to believe you can.
A study called “Wealth secures health” shared several key factors that connect life, wealth, health, and longevity.1 Sir Edmund, who lived 88 abundant years, emulates many of these characteristics.
- Are you an explorer?
- Do you love what you do?
- Are you looking to conquer new heights?
- Climb or go to where no woman or man has gone before?
- Do you get your sense of self-worth because of your character, purpose, and destiny or by your net-worth? (Self-worth can’t equal net-worth; there are too many people with more money, followers, and fame)
- Is money the only motivator?
- Can you be at peace with what is under your skin and make the right choices anyway for your life and health?
I generally write these mid-week Ultimate Influence Group newsletters around building financial security and getting to a point of affluence and choices for your life. We need to be motivated beyond the money – even to make the money. Sir Edmund told us that he had many, many other dreams and parts of the world he’d hoped to conquer and go where none or very few had ever dared to tread. He told us that the only reason he had not completed all these journeys was that he simply ran out of time and energy, not will or desire.
I can still remember the day we dropped my daughter off at kindergarten like it was 15 minutes ago. Her back pack was 3/4ths the size of her body, she leaned forward, and walked courageously into the unknown of her first public classroom away from mom and dad. In the blink of an eye, she’s moving out of the house for months at a time on her way to college. Whatever you can do or think you can, begin it; do it now!
“Change efforts most often fail when change agents did not create a high enough sense of urgency among enough people to set the stage for making a challenging leap in some new direction” (Kotter).
See you at the top!
Dr. Ben
1. Clay, R. (2001). Wealth secures health. American Psychological Association, 32(9), 78
