New Blog Series

Good morning everyone! I wanted to send out a quick note on some of the things we're doing here at Challenge Accepted. I know that it's been a while since I had something new on the board, so I felt it was time to step out of the shadows and into the light, and bring you all into the inner workings of our mind. 

Starting next week - this week if I can finalize the list - CA will be doing a daily blog over a series of topics ranging from self-reflection, to motivation, to creativity, and a number of other areas! I'm really excited to announce this, as this series will also spur a series of videos we plan to produce on YouTube. Yes! We're going to YouTube as well. I apologize now about how it might look, but YouTube is one my personal challenges. Really, the blog is, too. 

I want to share my ideas and thoughts with all of you, in hopes of creating new content, ideas, and other conversations that we can share as a community. The more I can reach out and the more that you can reach back, the better off this community will be. With that, I'll leave this post as this: I'm excited about tomorrow, as tomorrow is another opportunity to learn, grow, and develop who we are. Thank you all for sharing with me and my team. It means the world to us. 

Best, 

Justin

Do What Frightens You

I've heard it said that we as people need to do what frightens us. But what exactly does that mean? I started thinking about this and wanted to put out my thoughts to the rest of you. 

When I consider what frightens me, I can think of a number of things. Some big, others small. What they all have in common is that they chip away at something within me that I'd rather not be disturbed. Oft when we look at something new, different, or a change, we're encapsulated with this innate fear of the 'what if'. It's frightening and it's paralyzing. Why? Because it pushes us into a different understanding of who we are. We're focused on the unknown and that unknown doesn't have a clear path, it seems daunting, it seems unapproachable, it can even seem impossible. Under those circumstances, we stop well before we ever start; it feels easier to commit to what we know, than venture into what we do not know. 

However...

When we stay in what we know, what we feel is comfortable, what are we really doing for ourselves? If I were to stay exactly where I am in order to keep from pursuing and chasing what frightens me, then I cease to grow. I cease to develop. I cease to become more than I am today. When we shy away from the unknown because it's unknown, we're essentially saying that despite what could happen, good or bad, we know 'this' and this is good enough. I think that we owe it to ourselves to strive for more than good enough.

Personally, I'm not happy with good enough. If we strive for good enough, that's the same as striving for mediocrity, the least we can do, the bottom rung, the last of the line, the least of our efforts. If we're going to do something, we should do it with all our hearts and pursue it with all the effort that we can muster. In that scenario, win or lose, up or down, we can walk away knowing that we gave it our all. That is a feeling of accomplishment no one can ever take away, a feeling that doesn't get lost in the fold. It's the understanding that I gave it my all, and know I left nothing behind. 

So to those of you that have the unknown standing at your door, don't fear the path that you've not yet started. Truth is, even the known is still unknown, so why not give the unknown a try? If you feel something tugging at your heart, your mind, your soul, if you feel something drawing you closer, and bringing you to a new opportunity, challenge, or task, I challenge you to embrace the fear. Do what frightens you. Be fearless, ready to jump, ready to go all in, ready to find yourself in the world of the unknown. Give it your all, and don't worry about the next steps...you can figure it out along the way. When you do, know that we're here to join you in the journey. 

Justin

This is where it begins!

As the world of Challenge Accepted comes to life, we plan to keep a very active Blog and Vlog for that matter, showing the world what we're up to, and what you're up to! We plan to get involved in a number of different events, activities, outings, and more. Really, you name it, and we may just be there. Maybe. I've not found anyone that wants to willingly let us dump ice water on them. If that's you, let us know! You bring the you, and we'll supply the ice and water!

Check back often on the site to see what we're up to and where we're going. As our projects grow, we'll post information about them here. When new projects come to light, or when we're looking for thoughts and suggestions from our community, we'll post them here, too. One thing to keep in mind, at our core, Challenge Accepted is about being inclusive and supporting one another. Most, if not all, of our posts will be open for comments. If we find anyone willingly being rude, dismissive, disruptive, or in any way detrimental to another user of this blog, we will be forced to remove or block you from posting. There's enough negative in the world as it is, let's use this platform to promote the positive.

Lastly, as this is the first blog, I personally want to say thank you to all of you following us! We're really excited about the future of Challenge Accepted and look forward to sharing our stories, our trials, our experiences, and all of that with you! In the same way, we're looking forward to you sharing the same with us! If you have a really excellent story, or a story at all, that you'd like to share with the rest of the community, let us know and we'll be happy to post it. 

I can't say where tomorrow is going to bring the site, its contents, and all of the things we're doing, but know this. We will always strive to keep you involved in what we're doing. We're committed to supporting all of you in, within, and around our community and network. We want to update and progress as a company and as a source for all of you. If you have thoughts and comments about anything, please let us know! In the same fashion, we'll do our best to keep all of you in the know. 

When we believe that something is impossible, it is impossible, but when we believe that it's worth trying anyways, the impossible becomes possible. Here's to the days to come and the adventures ahead 

Justin Kurth                                                                                                                                     Founder, CEO Challenge Accepted