“Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.” - Miyamoto Musashi

Biologists, really scientists in general, talk about stasis. A steady state, involving neither growth or degradation. But the truth is, in life there is no stasis. There is no steady state. You are either growing and learning or you are diminishing. Challenge is the key to personal growth, the stimulus required to stave off entropy.

Far too often, people think they have “arrived.” This leads to complacency. Skills degrade and excuses cascade, and the downhill slide begins. You never arrive. The moment you think you have, you’ve ended your growth. And once that momentum is lost, it can be very hard indeed to regain.

Challenge. Always find new ways to test yourself. New goals to achieve, new landmarks and personal bests. This is different than rights of passage. For some reason many people can work single-mindedly to earn a place in a unit or profession, and then abandon that drive once they are on the “inside.” A police academy, SWAT school, Ranger school, Selection and the Q-course. These things are rights of passage but they are beginnings, not finish lines. No one is valuable to an organization if they are stagnant. And more importantly they lose value to themselves.

This continual growth that challenge brings has importance and benefits far beyond just professional development or skill improvement however. Especially as we grow older, it keeps us vibrant and young. It keeps us alive. Truly alive, not just existing. No matter our age, no matter what point we are at in our careers and lives, the willingness to embrace challenge is a catalyst for growth and accomplishment.

Challenge. It motivates you. Tests you. Seek it out. Rank in BJJ, tactical shooting drill,awards, classification in action shooting sports, fitness coaching certifications, competition victories of all kinds. All these things can serve as catalysts for personal and professional growth. Embrace challenge. Seek it out in all things. Never stop growing, learning, and achieving. As long as you live.