I wonder what people feel after they have climbed mount everest. Are they wholly in the moment or does the question of "what's next?" start making its way into conscious thought? Maybe it depends on why they were climbing in the first place, and why they kept going. What is was they thought of during those moments where the end seemed so far away.
Maybe they remember the little everests they climbed along the way. Those little triumphs which suddenly don't seem so little anymore, even when seemingly overshadowed by an olympian feat. Because would anything so great have even been possible without the smaller successes along the way?
According to the calendar, its a new year. We have the choice to feel different or not, to map out the next 12 months or to feel as though its just a continuation of the everyday. We can make resolutions, break them, make more, resolve to be more resolute next time. But one thing is clear, this is a time when we can offer ourselves a chance to press some sort of subtle restart button. Dare we press it?
For me, this will be a year of those achievements. Those little ones, those stepping stones that actually grow when placed next to bigger ones. It will be a year of really figuring out what I am made of, challenging myself beyond my expectations, just to see what happens. This isn't alien to me by any means, but I don't think I've approached it in such a deliberate way as this.
Now is the time. This is it. Now is the time to do anything. My projects give me a wonderfully evolving structure. As I begin them now I am humbled by the works of so many great mathematicians, programmers, artists, writers.. so many people who have unleashed their potential into their creations.
So I am setting here a little challenge for myself. Just how much can I create by the time that I row 855,567 more meters, before I hit a million meters? What wonderful things can I make for the world to be a better more beautiful place? What exactly does my everest look like? The things I am attempting to undertake are well beyond my current capabilities, but I know they are also well within the power of the human potential. What will the path ahead look like when looking back? How big will my smile be? Every step ahead is a deep dive into the familiar unknown. To expand the things you know, delve into the things you know you don't know, and quest for the things you don't know you don't know. What will "what's next" look like when viewed from what's next?
To persist. To find joy in the difficulty and calm in the ease. To harness each moment and set potential free. What better time than now?
After all, this is the past of the future you want to be.