Mantra #2
“By endurance, we conquer” - Ernest Shackleton.
One of the greatest books I have ever read is Endurance. A book on Ernest Shackleton’s voyage to the South Pole in 1914. It is a true story about grit, determination, perseverance and self belief. I highly recommend it (Thanks to Jordan Peterson’s reading list I found this - go check it out).
What I love about the quote is that it takes nothing more than endurance to overcome life’s challenges. That means effort, daily, can get you to places that nothing else will. This is now something I live by.
I often have the conversation with my wife that, if you want to be an expert in a field, someone that people seek out overtime or that people want to work with, then all you have to do is constantly improve and never stop doing it is that you want to be known for. It is as simple as that. You may not have the most runs on the board yet, but if you are looking to seek a return on your investment, it doesn’t matter if you aren’t making a huge impact today - you just need to be refining and stepping in the right direction. In 10yrs time, you will only be one of a few with a decades worth of experience in your industry for no other reason than you endured and you persisted.
The measure of 10,000hrs to become an expert is reasonable - but I have some questions to pose to you, dear audience. Have you considered what the quality of those 10,000hrs was like? What was the diversity of experiences that were had in those 10,000hrs? What time did someone have between those 10,000hrs that allowed them to consolidate their knowledge or craft a new perspective when they weren’t simply honing their skill?
We don’t all have the luxury of becoming an expert quickly, but we can still become experts by never stopping, accumulating whatever time we can in whatever it is that we want, even if only an hour a week. By endurance, we not only conquer life, but we experience it for all that it is worth - recognising our starting line and focusing on the finish line each step of the way.
At the olympics, all spectators eyes are on the sprinter - fast, muscular, energetic. But, amongst other athletes, it is the marathon runners that hold a special place for their superhuman abilities. No big celebrations, no showy muscles and no narrow physical ability - bucket loads of heart, an ability to live with pain and, above all, endurance.
So, what is it that you are going to conquer?
