In a journal entry on September 5, 1838, Henry David Thoreau wrote of water:
One would think that, by a very natural impulse, the dwellers upon the headwaters of the Mississippi and Amazon would follow in the trail of their waters to see the end of the matter.
Only six years earlier, on July 13, 1832, Henry Schoolcraft identified Lake Itasca as the source of the Mississippi River. The interesting thing is that the source of a river that flows 2,300+ miles is not grandiose in the least. In fact, the channel leaving the lake was engineered in the 1930s to enhance the tourist experience.
The same subtlety is true of our success in life. You don’t know where the spark will come from that creates the biggest thing in your life. This is why you must explore and execute on ideas. Ask out the girl. Don’t wait for the guy to ask you out. Take the riskier but more enthralling job. Don’t wait for anything that can be done today.
Author Robert Pirsig writes that solutions are simple, but only after we arrive at them, only after we know what they are. Looking back on your life, what will you view as simple that had the biggest impact on your life? These are the things that seem hard today. And we must do them anyway.
Donald Miller writes a lot about developing a story. In exploring his story, he inspires readers to live a life worthy of their own. We only get one chance at life, why not take an adventure down the Mississippi, or up Denali, or through the Grand Canyon? Why not start that business bugging you from the back of your mind? Why not move to a new city with your friend?
Whether you seek the beginning or end of a river, I hope you start now. Be curious. Explore new ideas, new projects. Follow an idea’s trail water to the end of the matter.
