Check out http://escaping-mediocrity.com for an excellent read.  I found Sarah’s blog via Twitter today and was immediately intrigued.  The title of her blog is somewhat analogous to “The Pursuit Of A Life” –  and she deals in some of the same themes: seeking, improving, sharing, bettering.

The first post I read, Burn The Ships, is a manifesto for letting it all hang out in 2010 and commit to a make-or-break year.  It’s daring, scary, and breathtaking in both its simplicity and implications.

Is it possible to metaphorically burn the ships?

Do you even want to?

Regular readers will know I’ve experienced a very up-and-down year in 2009.  Some good moments, and some not-so-good.  Some terrible, heartbreaking moments, the kind that make you want to vomit or cry or die, and yet there have been some rays of unexpected sunshine that have lit up the sky in orange and gold.  Bottom line – I can’t say that I would want to repeat 2009, so I’m planning for 2010 and Sarah’s post struck me right between the eyes: how much to commit to?  How much to let go of?  How can one face, nay, embrace fear, uncertainty, and doubt and not freeze up?

Sometimes change is forced upon us.  It’s during those times that we understand how resilient we really are, how capable.  We have vast reservoirs of strength (both internal, and via our networks of family and friends) that we can tap into. But forcing change – burning the ships – when we don’t have to; that takes guts and commitment and courage.

I applaud Sarah for challenging herself this way, and encourage you to go visit her blog and ask yourself some of the same hard questions.

While looking at a PledgeBank item to encourage Kathy Sierra to get back on the blogwagon (a worthwhile cause!), I found this great graphic on the Creating Passionate Users site:

Wonderful. And true.

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Tags: KathySierra, Creating Passionate Users, Fear