Before I begin today, let me say that I fully understand there are times when a “let it be” and “row, row, row your boat gently down the stream” approach can make more sense. This isn’t one of those times though. Today my question for you is this: are you really setting your sights on making the impossible possible by pushing yourself and testing your own limitations?
This past Sunday, I heard Rufus Wainwright in concert just outside of Chicago at the Ravinia Festival. During his performance, he did something that really stood out to me. About halfway through his set, he decided to play what he called perhaps the hardest piano song he’s written, The Dream. It was a gamble. A risk. I didn’t know the song and wasn’t sure what to expect, but I assumed that he had set it up to be a tough song and would then nail it like he probably has in countless concerts. Instead, he got halfway through the song and messed up. Majorly. To the point that he couldn’t just hide the fact that he’d messed up. He even paused and said, “Hang on, let me try that again.” Instead of booing or sitting silently and making him feel uncomfortable, the audience applauded. He tried it again and messed up again, and then after kind of humming through that part of it, he whispered “Whatever!”
Here’s someone at the peak of his industry who messed up in front of a large audience and just trudged through it, got back up, and kept on going without letting it get to him. The rest of the concert everything went smoothly, hitch-free. His goof-up didn’t seem to faze him at all.
And as I sat there, I realized what a great lesson this is in pushing yourself in life. How often do you just play it safe and go about your day-to-day life living a safe existence? How often do you take risks, push yourself, and try to do something where you could possibly fail?
My sense is that some of the most talented people in any given field are regularly pushing themselves beyond their own perceived limitations. They’re always trying to stretch themselves by aiming a bit too high.
As an aside, when I used to play tennis regularly, I always found that my skills improved in direct proportion to how much better my opponent was than me. If I played someone who could destroy me on the court, the next time I played, I was dramatically better. My serves, my forehands, my backhands. Everything was better.
And it all makes me wonder, are there ways that you can be pushing yourself more and taking more risks in your day-to-day life to really see just what you’re capable of doing? I bet the answer is yes.
*About the Photo Above: I took this picture on my iPhone during the Rufus Wainwright concert on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at the Ravinia Festival.
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