"Not because they are easy, but because they are hahhhd."

Now what? (Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. Flag on the Moon, NASA, July 20, 1969)

The 50th anniversary of the moon landing has come and gone. Nothing has changed as a result of marking that moment. In fact, the argument is that not much changed as a result of the moon landing itself.

That may be true for the moon itself, cold and still and untouched since the Apollo missions. But we are still reaping the benefits of the technological advancements that were required to achieve Kennedy’s ambitious goal to put a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s. Many decades of research and development were compressed into just over eight years. That is the benefit of a clearly defined, time-bound objective.

Whether or not you believe that all that money and effort were well spent on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, that is a takeaway we can apply to our own pursuits: A clear mission, supported by all the resources you can muster, can cause the impossible to happen.

A few months ago, I decided that I would begin publishing a blog post every weekday. To quote President Kennedy’s 1962 speech at Rice University:

We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills...

Okay, I’m not going to the moon, but Kennedy’s words explain exactly why I’m writing. The challenge itself forces me to get better. On the days that I can’t think of anything to write about, I still need to come up with something to write about. I must transcend fatigue and discouragement to deliver. Over a hundred posts later, I am amazed at the power of a simple, clear commitment to change my behavior and the corresponding outcome.

This success has led me to seek additional challenges. Some of them are valuable in and of themselves, like learning tennis, diving, cooking at home, or organizing scary paperwork. Others have a benefit that is yet hidden. Regardless, I’m enjoying the new insights that are coming up and trying to embrace the discomfort along the way.

Even if we don’t set what Jim Collins and Jerry Porras call a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), we can intentionally lean into what is difficult as a shortcut to growth and success.

For instance, if my natural inclination in school is toward the humanities, I might limit my exposure to math and science to the bare minimum. Obviously, this weakens me further in these areas and I will work even harder to avoid the things I have to do.

The alternative is to deliberately confront my discomfort with math and science, prioritizing these areas. I will make an entirely different set of choices with this mindset: I’ll sit in the front of the classroom, raise my hand to ask questions, seek extra help outside of class, and do my math and science homework first. I may never be a star in these areas, but I won’t be fearful and avoidant.

To push through the fear and discomfort is like flicking on the light to make the boogeyman go away. And once you’ve done that, you feel strong, capable, and mature, ready to tackle the next scary thing.

To quote Kennedy again:

…because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.

What will it be for you? What challenge, once overcome, would change your world?