A number of months back I had the opportuntiy to have lunch with the president of my company and talk with him about his career. Being that he is someone who has both acheived a great deal of success and had little handed to him, I take what he says quite serious.

At this lunch I took the opportunity to ask him “If it were possible for the present you to give the you of 25 advice, what would it be?” His response “get comfortable being in uncomfortable places, always be willing to push yourself further”.

I was recently reminded of this conversation after watching Honda - the Power of Dreams and this same concept was talked about, however it was referred to as “setting the ladder on fire”. This is a popular phrase at Honda used to inspire and motivate. So what does this mean? Simply put I think it means assigning yourself tasks that don’t involve a safety net, it means promising to deliver on something you haven’t ever done before, and setting goals that at first may seem unobtainable.

We all go through times where we are not pushing ourselves to the fullest or we are hesitant to take on a challenge when there isnt a backup plan. But when did playing it safe ever really get you anything of real value?