Have you ever heard the phrase “if you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space”? This quote has been attributed to various people, including Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest. He certainly knew how to live on the edge and perhaps we would all benefit by a little of that.
That quote came to mind as I watched a couple of paragliders soaring over the beach the other day. Perhaps you’re thinking, as I am, that you’re a little too old for hang gliding or summiting Mount Everest, but I think it means more than that. It encourages you to challenge yourself, to try new things and to take a few risks. That can happen at any age and any level of physical fitness.
I like to call it living braver and it’s about having courage, walking through fears and getting a little uncomfortable. I’ve been brave many times in my life, and I find that as I get older, I’m a little less inclined to get uncomfortable.
I’ll give you an example. Tim won’t let me forget the time we decided to arrange for a trip to an undisclosed location. We had a relative choose the city and make the travel plans, and we just had to show up at the airport to find out where we were going. The rest was up to us and I had the brilliant idea of doing it all on $100 a day, including food and lodging for both of us. Not an easy fete in Calgary, Ontario, Canada where we ended up, but we made do, and made so many interesting stories, that we’re still talking about it more than 15 years later.
Fast forward to today. We just returned from our wonderful trip to England and Ireland where we didn’t have to think about where we were staying or what we were eating, or even much of a budget as most of that was taken care of ahead of time. It was definitely an adventure that I wouldn’t trade for the world, but I wouldn’t call it living on the edge.
I believe that challenges keep us young and our minds and bodies strong. And so how do I get back to that place of being comfortable with discomfort?
Often times I think it’s the stories I tell myself that prevent me from moving forward. “Oh, this will never work,” or “I’m just not capable,” or the ever popular “It’s too late for me.” We are masters at deluding ourselves. If I don’t try, I can’t fail, and so I just play it safe. But if I don’t try, I can succeed either, and that is what I must remind myself.
Of course there are risks with living on the edge. That’s really what it’s all about. The view from the edge may be spectacular, but then so are the falls. It was Kurt Vonnegut in his book Player Piano said “I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.” By the way, in these days of AI, do yourself a favor and read this book.
I used to have a YOLO attitude (you only live once), and, while my goal isn’t to return to those days, I think a little more edge in my life will help keep me sharp (see what I did there).
Leave a Reply