Find Your Tightrope

In Let The Great World Spin, Colum McCann describes Phillipe Petit training in a meadow for his famed tightrope walk across the twin towers of the World Trade Center. "What he had to do was reimagine things, make an impression in his head, a tower at the far end of his vision, a cityline, below him. He sometimes resented it, bringing the city to the meadow, but he had to meld the landscapes together in his imagination, the grass, the city, the sky."

Petit had a dream to which he was totally committed and on which he placed intense focus. McCann states that Petit had a sign tacked to the cabin door: NOBODY FALLS HALFWAY. I would characterize that as motivating! Petit has written his own book about his feat, and there is an Academy Award winning documentary on the subject as well. It stands out as an incredible act of daring. As for me, I'm not too crazy about getting up on a ladder.

Have you taken the time to figure out what you really want to do? How about what you really, really, really want to do? What's stopping you? I had a teacher who said: Life is too short to do what I have to do. It is barely long enough to do what I want to do.

Goals that are aligned with our personal interest and values contribute more to our success and happiness than those that we believe we should have or that are dictated by others. They free us to enjoy the journey of our lives, provide us with a motivational pull and have a trickle down effect. They help to make everything we do more enjoyable. Sometimes it takes some work to figure out what those goals are, as we learn about what is really inside of us and struggle against societal pressures that may push us in different directions. Can you imagine telling your family that you planned to devote yourself to walking a tightrope across the World Trade Center towers?

The reality is that there are other factors that we consider when choosing our goals. It would be irresponsible for the sole breadwinner of a family to quit earning money to paint watercolors in the attic all day. Yet, there is still a way to create a more fulfilling life. First, the goal of providing for one's family could be a goal that is aligned with our values, and it increases our self-esteem to acknowledge and nurture that goal. If another goal is to become a renowned painter of watercolors, then devoting even an hour a week to that pursuit will increase one's sense of well being and happiness. And it will make the day job more fulfilling too.

So I encourage you to spend some time thinking about what it is you love to do. When was the last time you enjoyed doing something that you thought was valuable? Formulate a goal around this and commit to spend some time working towards it on a regular basis. Life really is too short.