Climb That Mountain

Today is June 15. It’s the middle day of the sixth month of the calendar year. In just two more weeks and a couple of days, 2018 will be essentially half done. Where does the time go, right? More importantly, what have you done with yourself this year to achieve your New Year’s Day visions of hard work, success, and bright, shining good fortune? Has it been the 2018 you wanted it to be, or are you feeling sudden stirrings of panic, confusion, and maybe even a little resignation?

Some of you are probably saying, “I stopped caring about my New Year’s Day hopes and dreams in February, buster. Where have you been?” Others are probably thinking more along the lines of, "New Year's Day? I already wrapped up those resolutions and made new ones three months ago." Everyone else is occupying the vast middle ground between the overachievers and the daydream believers (or at least the ones who never actually stop daydreaming and start achieving).

Our point is twofold: First we want to remind you of this post from back in January. Did you resolve to get certified in 2018? If so, then how have things been going? And that right there is mostly our second point: Where do you stand? Did you already get a cert? Awesome! If, on the other hand, you're still hard at work, or actually never got started in the first place, then we're here to bid you a hearty, "Don't give up!" We never said it would be easy. We only said it would be worth it.

Sometimes, the biggest benefit that you can get from doing something hard is building up the resolve to keep trying until you succeed. A wise man once described his family tradition of taking the kids hiking every year before the first week of school. The family would find a tall mountain and hike all the way to the top. Then the father would tell his children, "No matter what happens to you this school year, remember that you can do hard things, like climb a mountain."

Maybe that next certification won't get your a better job or a higher salary. Maybe you won't even go on to work in IT at all. There is still value, on the other hand, in learning to do hard things for the sake of doing hard things. Overcoming challenges is a big part of life, no matter who you are, or what you end up doing. So don't let that certification resolution slide! You still have six months (plus a couple of weeks) to see it through. Stay the course! Someday, you'll be happy you finished.