Ethicist Rosalind Hursthouse once said we’re in the happy position of there being more worthwhile things to do than can be fitted into one lifetime. I’m glad we have options. But man, wouldn’t it be nice if that lifetime were a little longer?
The good news is that our limited time forces us to choose wisely, and that we actually have enough time to choose widely as well.
Some will tell you the key to success is to focus exclusively on one thing. You don’t become Muhammad Ali dabbling. But while Ali boxed to the exclusion of most everything else, consider Leonardo da Vinci - a master of art, engineering, architecture and invention.
I’d rather enjoy dozens of life’s glorious options in depth than one option all the way down. You’re free to disagree. But for my time, adventures (plural) are where it’s at.
The paths you choose are your call. But please do go ahead and choose. 85 will be here before you know it. And I want you to be able to experience and relive your own epiphanic joys:
Ah, so this is what being a comedian is like, this is what being a professor is like, this is what being a fighter is like.
Each of these started as a wish, a hope, a dream. But dreams are for suckers. We translate our dreams into goals and get on with it.
Commit, Begin, Research. No one’s going to hand you the adventure you want and deserve. You have to take it.
I’ll leave you with one final journal entry from the day after my first fight:
I went to sleep last night with a huge smile on my face, and when thanking Jesse this morning, told him that even if I was paralyzed tomorrow and could never box again, I’d die satisfied that I conquered my fear and did it.
There’s a 10-year-old bully victim deep inside that’s really happy right now, despite how the judges scored the match.
Being a fighter feels damn good: -) 99% of men fantasize about it. Only a fraction actually do it. I’ll go to my grave proud that I’m a member of that percentage of a percent.
