It's a lie. It's a lie that when you have reached your goals you will be satisfied. That as soon as you have amassed a certain number of accomplishments in life -- in a prof's case, these might include a solid publishing record, acceptance by the scholarly guild, obvious success in the classroom -- you will want to hang it up and do nothing but think about your past accomplishments. Nothing could be further from the truth. God has hardwired us to keep turning the doorknob. Yesterday's accomplishments matter but not as much as tomorrow's aspirations. The real source of satisfaction in life comes from becoming a better person tomorrow than you were yesterday.
I have never been content to be a spectator in life and I don't plan on becoming one now. With a big year of running and climbing planned, it's time to push the limits again -- to live, to love, to grow, to risk. To me, looking back on my career will always be fulfilling. But there's something about daring to dream about what life could be that satisfies a deep need in my heart.
Forward and upward.
