Leave Comfort Behind
My 17 year old son conquers his first 100 Kilometre run! (62 miles!)
Anyone who aspires to greatness must cast aside that which tethers him to mediocrity. There is no heavier chain than the endless distractions of the modern world. Nothing pulls us away from noble plans and meaningful pursuits quite like the constant stream of entertainment competing for our attention.
We only have so much time to work on becoming great—and that time is being quietly stolen by an insidious force.
Our distraction-filled world is like the lantern fish, and we are the minnow.
Drawn to its glow, we cannot look away. The light mesmerizes us. We stop swimming. We drift. We stare. Time slips by as we consume what the light offers—yet in the end, we are the ones being consumed.
That minnow was meant to swim the vast ocean. It was built for movement, for exploration, for life—not for hovering helplessly in the glow of something that will ultimately devour it.
And so it is with us.
We were made to think, to write, to read, and to run. We were made to explore, to learn, to imagine the impossible—and then bring it into existence. We were made to ski, to skate, to climb mountains, to create.
We were made to overcome daunting obstacles and to work relentlessly toward something meaningful.
Yet too often, we choose to be the minnow.
We stop swimming.
We stare.
And in consuming, we are consumed.
This is why it’s refreshing when my 17-year-old son says
"Leave comfort behind, there's nothing for you there."
Then he laces up and dashes off to run his first-ever 100K—62 miles through the mountains of British Columbia. Rugged trails. Steep elevation. Relentless terrain.
He makes it look effortless, though it is anything but. Behind that run are countless hours of training, discipline, and discomfort.
Why does he do it?
Yes, he loves to run—but it’s deeper than that. He wants to push himself. He wants to discover what he’s capable of. He wants to do something extraordinary.
He wants to be great.
And greatness always demands sacrifice.
But whatever it is you’re striving for—whatever difficult thing is calling you forward—the reward will be a hell of a lot better than the hollow comfort of a distracted, underachieving life.
So ask yourself:
What do you want to be great at?
Lock in on the answer, then
Stop doomscrolling.
Turn off the TV.
Put your socials on hold.
Step away from your phone.
And get after it.
If my son’s 100-kilometre journey through the mountains has reminded me of anything, it’s this:
We are all capable of far more than we think.
That means you.
That means me.
So let’s stop staring at the light—
and start swimming toward greatness.
In the bonus section of this week’s article is a related book review. Vanished Beyond The Map by Adam Shoalts. It’s about one of Canada’s greatest and most forgotten explorers. If ever there was a man who was willing to stretch himself clear out of his comfort zone to do impossible things, it was Hubert Darrell, but not only do we learn about Darrell, we also learn about his biographer, Adam Shoalts, who, in addition to meticulously researching Darrell’s life, has also retraced many of his steps —a great achievement in its own right! Enjoy the short below, which shares one of Hubert Darrell's many adventures.
