Be a Skateboarder
When I walk through the park in the evening, I meet up with a group of skateboarders who practice in the same stretch of roadway, consistently doing their thing night after night. I watch them take off, try a trick, and most often not land it. Yet, they get back in the queue to try again.
When I watch those skateboarders, it makes me think about Experimentation and Resilience.
I love the word experimentation. It allows for trying, learning, and failure.
Experiments aren’t about getting it right from the start. Those skateboarders experiment with their approach to tricks. It takes repetition and practice to get it right. I was also reminded of this when I went to a comedy club in Los Angeles over the holiday. Those brave souls were willing to get in front of an audience and test their content to practice until they got it right. Some of their jokes bombed, and they admitted it on stage. How courageous! But they knew feedback is simply information.
Experimentation can be a powerful tool for us as we explore what might be next for our own life and work arcs. I appreciated my conversation with Neha Mandhani in E97 of The Sustainable Ambition Podcast, who has experimented her way to work that is in integrity with who she is. Today she feels more alive having chosen a path that aligns with being ambitious on her terms.
Resilience is a word I’ve used with Sustainable Ambition. I find it to be a better focus than seeking work-life balance. How can we build our resilience to sustain ourselves as we take on our ambitions? This doesn’t mean totally gritting it out, but it could mean appreciating the grind, as Dr. Sahar Yousef talked about in E51 of the podcast. She points us to appreciating the process (skateboarders!) and telling ourselves that “the grind feels good,” so we don’t get distracted by seeking dopamine hits. See hard work and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive. Frankly, flow is found being on that edge of a challenge. Resilience helps us embrace the learning process, remaining committed and persistent.
Now, how can you step onto the skateboard?
Where do you want to experiment?
Where are you drawn to keep going, keep trying, keep learning?
Where can you appreciate the grind and put in the uncomfortable work, because you are committed to your ambition?
Where can you add a bit of what you love to the experience to make the uncomfortable work more enjoyable?
It’s helpful to realize that ambitions aren’t time bound, nor is success. You can land the trick if you’re willing to experiment and be consistent and persistent.
Give it a go. It’s time to push off.
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