Are You Capable Of This?
This article is part of Finding the Words, a newsletter that delivers practical insights on the day’s issues.
When Diana Nyad was 60, she attempted for the fifth time—and against all odds—to swim a 110-mile marathon from Cuba to Florida. Scientists, athletes, journalists, and medical experts said that what she was attempting could not be done. Yet she persevered and completed an odds-defying 53-hour swim—more than 30 years after her first attempt.
Nyad said this about the experience in a 2018 interview with Oprah:
“There is something in our will that goes beyond what the body is capable of…the will is undefinable, and it can push you so far beyond what you believe is possible.”
Nearly everyone doubted Nyad’s ability to complete that swim. They didn’t think she—or anyone, for that matter—was capable of such a feat. But she was more than capable. The will to finish that swim was inside her all along.
As we dive into this new year, you will face moments of doubt and tests of your strength. You may encounter grand challenges and opportunities for breakthrough impact, too. Those opportunities can’t happen, however, if you let others define your future.
Are you capable of this? Are you capable of what your team needs from you…what your work needs from you…what the world needs from you?
Yes, you are more than capable.
It’s tempting to get caught up in what others think of you. It’s tempting to sell yourself short. But that mindset won’t take you far and won’t move others very far, either. So, in this new year, when you feel yourself getting pulled off course, remember this:
Only you can define who you are and want to be.
Only you control what you do and say.
Only you control how you choose to lead.
Your most significant contributions—to the world, your work, your team—cannot be defined by others. They will be determined by the actions you take and the values you practice.
To help you focus on your own actions and values, I invite you to take time this week to answer this question: 365 days from now, what will you look back on most proudly? How will you have led? How will you have cared? How will you have lived?
Start there, and stay there, and bit by bit, you will get there.
This post is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.
