Why Do Hard

Remember Team Hoyt? Earlier this year, legendary marathon runner Dick Hoyt passed away. He was one half of the team that competed together in finishing over one thousand races. What made Dick so memorable to the world was the fact that he literally pushed his son, Rick, a quadriplegic, across every finish line. In other words, Dick ran each race with enough strength and endurance not only for himself, but for two people.

We could trade stories for hours of people doing hard things. Like… in 1901, the Wright brothers tried nearly 200 different wing designs in the wind tunnel they invented before discovering the one design that was ultimately successful. How about Michael Jordan becoming an NBA legend? That came years after he was cut from his high school basketball team, demoted to the junior varsity team so he could “develop more as a player”.

The point is that certain people, for some special, even mysterious reason, choose to do hard things. And, by doing hard things, they are probably surprised. They make history, leave a lasting legacy and change lives in ways they never imagined. I bet Dick Hoyt never imagined he would inspire people all around the world.

Ironic, isn’t it? We spend much of our lives avoiding the difficult. We look for the easy way out in so many things. I’m guilty of it and (I bet) so are you. What would happen if we intentionally chose to do hard things? Leadership is not for the faint of heart. We have tough jobs and sometimes we just need some peace and quiet. We want some “smooth sailing” for a while because that is what is comfortable. It’s as though that is our natural inclination.

But what if you and I choose to do hard things? What if we begin seeing problems as opportunities? What if we uncover obstacles for our teams and organizations so that we can help remove them? What if we grasp for the seemingly unattainable and see what is truly possible?

I have no doubt that there are hard things lurking in the shadows of your life right now. Hard things in your leadership role. Could this be the moment for a shift in perspective? A realization that if you and I are going to do something memorable, making a lasting difference, leading and growing the people around us, it is time to seek out “the hard”? [Don’t get me wrong. This is not some twisted desire to seek out pain or suffering. Not at all. Instead, this is about seizing powerful opportunities that are merely disguised as hard things others shy away from.]

William Wallace said it so well when he said, “Every man dies, not every man truly lives.”

Let’s do hard things!