On Commitment & Clarity
How do you figure out what you want in all of the various aspects of life? What are the necessary steps to get us where we are meant to go?
I have been feeling grateful recently for the clarity I gained in several pockets of my life over the past few years. It feels like, despite not knowing what the next few months and beyond will look like, right now I have the clearest view I have ever had of what I want and what I don’t. Having this clarity doesn’t remove the stress that often goes along with a transition period like the one I am in, but it does provide me with a good deal of confidence with decision-making and the many considerations swirling around in my head.
I believe a good deal of this newfound clarity stems from fully committing to several major ventures since leaving my last “normal” job in 2021. A few examples are: Eyes Up Ride (riding my bike solo cross-country for distracted driving), diving head-first into public speaking shortly after finishing the ride, and training for an “Everesting” bike challenge (spending an entire day going up and down a hill until you reach the same altitude gain of Mt. Everest, ouch).
In each of these examples, I fully committed to making those things happen, pulled out all the stops, and have learned so much in the process regardless of the outcome.
Eyes Up Ride was the first time I felt like I was making a substantial life decision fully on my own accord and without any direct outside influence or pressure. It seems to have triggered something inside me to continue with that line of thinking because I learned so much from making and committing to that decision and having both feet in the boat.
The big lesson from Eyes Up Ride? I am capable of so much more than I previously thought was possible so long as I truly commit to whatever that thing is and open myself up to the bends and turns that the road (literal and metaphorical) will inevitably present.
After the ride wrapped up and I completed my trip to interview Maxxis athletes for the ongoing video/podcast project late last year, I dove straight into public speaking. I didn’t know if speaking would be something I would want to pursue for my career or if I would even like it, but I knew I had built myself a platform and was pretty good in front of a crowd and cared about what I would be talking about.
Beyond commitment, doing something I love and being outside are both great ways for me to gain additional clarity. How do you like to shed the noise and refocus?
Since then, I have been focused on networking, marketing, and working on my speaking to get better and grow my business. I have spoken to hundreds of people on numerous occasions. The big lesson from diving into speaking? I like speaking, but don’t know if I enjoy it enough to pursue it full time and to depend on it for my living. I also reaffirmed that I care a whole lot about the #EyesUp message - more than I do about which specific avenue I pursue to make meaningful change.
In parallel with the speaking push, I have been training diligently, for the first time, for an athletic event. Along with a few friends on the summer solstice, I am attempting what’s called in the cycling world an “Everesting” attempt. We’ll be riding up and down Mt. Greylock in Williamstown, Massachusetts 13.5 times to reach the elevation-gain equivalent of Mt. Everest - 29,032’. It feels intimidating and overwhelming to think about the ride itself, but it’s keeping me focused on the training. I have never really physically trained for anything with any sort of structure in my life, and it’s been fascinating.
I feel stronger on the bike than ever and in better cardio shape than I can remember. What else have I learned? I don’t love biking enough to do it 5-6 times per week every week. It comes back to balance for me. There’s more out there I like to do. And I prefer to feel well-rounded in my fitness. Lifting, trail running, hiking, and wood chopping are a few of the activities I like to have mixed in with my routine. It’s quite challenging to incorporate these with such a structured program. I also don’t think I care enough about one sport to make it my life for 5+ months to train for another race or event like an Ironman, which had previously seemed exciting for me. I’d rather be able to choose what I am doing each day because I want to do it, not because it’s on the training calendar. Exercise is my happy place and there’s not enough time in life to spend it doing something I’m not excited about.
I wouldn’t have learned any of these things anywhere near as quickly and efficiently if I hadn’t committed to them. There’s something about getting thrown in the deep end that is rapidly disarming and gets you to the core of that thing with haste. It’s easy and often more comfortable to dabble in many activities and possibilities and never get the clarity that might help us either double down on one thing or move onto the next thing. It takes a certain amount of will power to jump in. The sooner you take the plunge, though, the sooner you can try a different pool or continue on swimming.
These are my thoughts. Thank you for reading. Have a great week and hope you are enjoying some warmer, sunshine-filled weather wherever you are!
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month (#DDAM) - check out my previous post on an experiment with my phone I am doing in honor of this important month.
-Ben Grannis
#EyesUp
