OUTBOUND THINKING
My brother, Kody, and I didn’t always love to learn, or at least we didn’t know we did. In fact, while we were growing up, we counted down the years until we were free from the classroom. It wasn’t until we took the time to hone in on our passion and purpose that our eyes were opened to a deep love for learning. Since then, we’ve learned to look beyond the brick and mortar of a classroom and enroll in an education of a lifetime.
What if I told you there’s a reason people almost always root for the losing team when turning on a random ball game? Or that it’s not coincidence we can’t help but cheer on the most unqualified of characters we read about or watch in movies whether that’s an unlikely hobbit named Frodo, a horse named Seabiscuit, or a frightened young man tasked with defeating Goliath? The simple truth is that we’re intrinsically hardwired to root for the underdog.
As I write this, I am actually pretty terrified. Let me explain why that’s a good thing. This past week and a half Kody, Lisa, (@madebylisamarie), and myself have been traveling in British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, and now Washington working on a large collaboration between many companies and sponsors including The Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, Kelty, Kuhl, Goal Zero, Sandisk, Polar Pro, Kessler, Nuun, and DJI.
Each January, there’s always all this commotion about having a new year’s resolution. It’s a cultural norm in the same way fireworks are associated with July (at least here in America). Unfortunately, most of the time, these goals fizzle out before reaching a single month. If you don’t believe me, check your local gym in February. Before you get too discouraged, let me share with you three simple ways I’m convinced can make this year your most productive year yet.
I get the feeling that a large part of our culture (and youth in particular), aren’t growing in the areas of their passion because they aren’t encouraged to learn from those they want to be like. Something profound that I’ve discovered is that a large percentage of the most influential individuals around today or in the past have either written books, or had books written about them. In other words, you can find the greatest lessons learned by these people compiled in one place. Most of the greatest teachers throughout history can live on your bookshelf.
