Thought About Your 2023 Personal Goals Yet?
At age 17, Kirstie Ennis enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, following in her parents’ footsteps. On tour in Afghanistan in 2012, enemy fire shot down her helicopter. Six people died. She barely lived.
The physical and emotional pain got so intense in the years that followed that she attempted suicide. Then, in 2016, she made the decision to move beyond her past and her limitations. She had her left leg amputated to end the chronic pain and began climbing mountains.
And not just any mountains. Since 2017 she has scaled the highest mountains on each of six continents. Next spring, she’ll attempt to complete all Seven Summits by scaling Mount Everest. In fact, she came within 200 yards of summiting Mount Everest a few years ago but turned around when her climbing partners ran out of oxygen.
Her journey to these incredible peaks all began with that decision she made in 2016.
What pain or limitations are holding you back from summiting your mountains?
While they may not be as traumatic or physically painful, all of us regularly experience imposing limitations. For example, for many years, one of my limitations was confidence in my writing ability.
My job has, and still does, provide many opportunities to write for public consumption — like what you’re reading now! One voice in my head told me I should press into that opportunity and do more writing, but another internal voice repeated messages like:
- You’re not that great of a writer.
- Very few people will care what you have to say.
- You don’t have time to produce anything worth reading.
- So many people are better at this than you.
- You have more immediate, pressing needs to attend to.
Writing for me has generally been hard and uncomfortable. Not being shot down from a helicopter and losing a leg painful, but still limiting.
Like Kirstie Ennis’ decision to start summiting the mountains she faced, one day in 2014 I told my wife I was going to write and broadcast an article related to my work every 1-2 weeks for one year.
She was skeptical but supportive because she knew me well enough to know my real or perceived limitations.
Eight years later, I’ve written over 350 articles at http://mattnorman.com and on LinkedIn, along with a book and several guest columns. I’m currently working on my next book set to release next year, and people regularly tell me that they actually read what I write.
What have been the keys to summiting these mountains?
- Embracing a growth-mindset. I can’t tell you how many times I just write and try to learn to write better despite those limiting voices. As Carol Dweck’s research suggests, we all experience limiting messages like “I’m not a good writer.” The key to success is deliberately choosing a growth-mindset instead.
- Declaring your challenging goals. Ennis declared the intention to achieve the Seven Summits. I told my wife I was going to write bi-weekly for at least a year. Research shows that you’re 20-40% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down and vividly describe them to others.
- Working on it even when you don’t feel like it. No meaningful pursuit comes easy. You have to keep giving gifts to your future self. You have to commit to the process more than the result.
- Find people who will help you. Marla Lepore has been faithfully editing my writing for most of those eight years and has helped me to grow so much. Whitney Sletten, Bryce Kramm, my wife, colleagues, clients and friends have provided encouragement, coaching and support. The self-made hero is a myth.
We’re finishing the year in one month and beginning a new one. You’ll face mountains you choose and mountains that you didn’t expect and don’t want to climb. The question is, will you push beyond your perceived or real limitations to make it to the top?
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