What does this even mean? To me, this is one of Casey Neistat’s most influential philosophies of life.

As an avid follower of youtuber, Casey Neistat’s life, I have learned a lot about his beliefs, many intricate, some more simple. You may feel as though this quote has no backbone, but it has more meat than you think.

So, what does it mean to me to always take the stairs and never take the escalator?

Well- for starters it means just that, take the stairs, it’s good for you.

But it means so much more than that. This simple quote acts as a constant reminder to always push yourself. Challenge yourself in as many ways as possible. I want you to ask yourself, how many times a day do you take the easy way out? Do you take the car to work instead of walking a few blocks? Do you wake up 30 minutes before you need to leave the house or do you go for an early jog instead? Do you say hi to the receptionist in the morning or do walk past her with your head down checking your emails? These questions are equally as important as their answers.

With these questions in mind, you may just have the incentive to challenge yourself a little bit further each day, even if that’s just a simple “hello” to Nancy, the receptionist, in the morning.

At the end of the day, these challenges make us better people. We are a society that strives to better ourselves every day. So much so that we forget who we are, why not make ourselves better human beings at the very same time? It is the push of a challenge that gets us moving, and if we decide to all take the stairs, we might just end up making this world a better place to live in.

These challenges can be approached one step at a time, and with time, change is inevitable.

For some, this challenge might be signing up for a marathon, for others it is as simple as taking the stairs, never the escalator.