bcg blog

To See If You Can

If “to see if I can” isn’t a good enough reason for you … we probably can’t be friends.

Now, I’m probably not climbing El Capitan but I do like to try things just to see. My wife would happily confirm that most of the time there’s really no tangible benefit and the risk pales in comparison to the reward, but still, we’ll give it a try. I’m not completely sure why, other than it just feels right. 

Alex Honnold did climb El Capitan. The 3,000 foot granite wall had never been climbed - well, not by someone alone with no ropes, no harness, and no safety net. Honnold relied solely on his hands, feet, and relentless focus he had built in the shadows.
Free soloing El Capitan had been considered essentially impossible. Not only that, but the world hadn't asked for it. Nobody needed it. Only a few had ever even considered it. There was no contract waiting, no trophy at the top, and no crowd cheering from the base of the mountain. When people pressed Honnold on why he would risk everything, his reason was simple: to find out exactly what he was capable of.
He wanted to see if he could. That was it. That was the whole reason.
On June 3, 2017 he found out. He could.
Why Should We Care?
Leadership and the pursuit of excellence share a common enemy: comfort. The moment we stop testing what we are capable of and start settling for the acceptable, we've already begun to shrink. Honnold didn't free solo El Capitan because someone told him to or because there was an obvious external reward attached. He did it because the question of whether he could mattered more to him than the certainty of staying comfortable. That's the internal scoreboard talking. That's a man living in alignment with his own standard of excellence, not the world's.
The people you lead are watching how you carry yourself when the outcome isn't guaranteed. When the path forward is unclear and it would be perfectly reasonable to pull back is precisely when your choices matter the most. Your people are not watching to see if you win every time. They're watching to see if you still show up with the same commitment and curiosity when there's nothing certain on the other side. The leader who moves toward difficulty because they genuinely want to find out what's there is the one that sets the temperature of the room.
Contrary to what most people think, exploring your limits isn't reckless. It's responsible. Honnold made a commitment to the process of becoming. It required honesty about where he was, humility to keep improving, and the kind of courage that doesn't need applause to keep going.
To see if you can is a perfectly good reason - and the answer doesn’t really even matter.
REAL TALK - Action Steps
Consistently stretching that comfort zone isn’t natural. Here are three things you can act on today to move that direction:

• Circle It 
  
  • There is something you've been thinking about - a conversation you've been avoiding, a skill you haven't mastered, a challenge you've been talking yourself out of. Write it down. Not so you have to commit to it today, but so you stop pretending it isn't there. Clarity is the first move.
    

• Systemize It
  
  • Pick one area - your leadership, your physical health, your relationships - and take one step that would require something from you. Not a comfortable step. A real one. Create a system that ensures your consistent effort directed to this area of growth.
    

• Challenge It
  
  • The next time you're deciding whether to pursue something difficult, get honest about why you're doing it. If the only reason you're moving forward is external validation like the title, the recognition, or the money then it won't sustain you. But if somewhere in your gut there's a voice that says I want to know if I can do this … run to it.
    

The world needs more people who are genuinely curious about what they're capable of. We need people who care more about who they're becoming than what the Twitter-world is saying. There’s no better time to see if you can than now.

Checkout Surrender the Outcome on Amazon and order The Score That Matters with Ryan Hawk & Brook Cupps. The latest blog from Blue Collar Grit can be found here!