The Great Unknown
I recently watched the Toyota commercial, “Welcome to the Great Unknown”. Yes, it is a Toyota commercial and no, I am not currently in the market for a new vehicle, however, this commercial is awesome and worth watching because it has everything to do with life! It’s only a 30 second commercial but it says everything that needs to be said, in 5 sentences/sentence fragments. (Go watch it.) It’s a commercial talking to a newborn baby about what lies ahead of him, but I believe we should all stop where we are in our life, right now, and look towards the rest of our lives with this ideal in mind.
The commercial goes as follows: “Welcome to the great unknown, “not the ok unknown, “or the underwhelming unknown”. “It’s the Great Unknown for a Reason”. “It’s a world of endless possibilities and adventures you can’t even imagine.”
Personally, I am well into middle age, but I still look at life as full of endless possibilities, and that’s what makes this commercial and its message so great in MY opinion. I am happy to be a work in progress and a lifelong learner, still seeking new opportunities and experiences as often as I can get them. (In fact, I’m getting better and better at hoverboarding! Just saying.)
When we as human beings complain about how hard something is, or how we can’t do something because it’s scary and unknown, and we are worried about failing, we need to remember the words of Richard DuFour who said, “Obstacles and others can only stop you temporarily: you are the only one who can do it permanently. Believe that what lies in front of us and what lies ahead of us are insignificant compared to what lies within us.” Likewise, we need to ask ourselves this question: “Do you remember the person that quit?” (Me neither.)
I started writing this article by referencing a Toyota commercial. I will tell you of another Toyota commercial worth watching. Watch “Start Your Impossible: The Story of the McKeever Brothers”. They won 10 Paralympic gold medals after one brother lost his eyesight. The commercial details their struggles, setbacks and their determination!
I hope you have a great day, with at least one “unknown” or new thing that you are able to experience today. If not, make it your mission to do so and seek it out tomorrow. Notice I didn’t say, I hope you find an EASY unknown. Things worth having or experiencing are many times very hard, but very worthwhile in the end. Fight through the setbacks, the tears and the sweat, the failures and self-doubts, and head full force into the great unknown. Let me know how it turns out!
“Obstacles and others can only stop you temporarily: you are the only one who can do it permanently. Believe that what lies in front of us and what lies ahead of us are insignificant compared to what lies within us.”-— Richard DuFour
