In April 2019, singer, songwriter, and producer Mike Posner started his walk across America. In October, he finished his over 2,800 mile journey from the East Coast to the West. From his walk, there's a lot to learn.
1. Push yourself.
Walking across the country wasn't easy for Mike Posner, and it wasn't something he necessarily enjoyed. In an interview, he said that there wasn't a single morning that he woke up and wanted to start walking. He easily could've decided that the journey was too hard or that he just didn't want to do it anymore, but he didn't. Every morning, he got up and walked. He didn't give up and pushed himself, and now he's completed the greatest adventure.
It's easy to stay in your comfort zone and not push yourself beyond your own boundaries. We should all aspire to push ourselves and discover our own limits. We may find that we are capable of more than we ever thought.
2. Be your own hero.
Mike Posner has struggled with his mental health over the years and has witnessed the deterioration of that of his father and close friends. He wanted to go on his walk across America to make himself proud and prove to himself that he could do it. He wanted to live in the present and fight his own battles. He wanted to make it to the other side, so he did.
"I want to become somebody I'm actually proud of. That's why I went on this walk. If somebody said, 'Who inspires you? Who's your hero?' I want to be able to look them in the eye and say, 'Me. I'm my hero'," Posner said.
It's okay to be your own inspiration and your own hero. It doesn't make you narcissistic or vain. It means that you're strong, which is something to be proud of. Be the person you look up to.
3. Never give up.
Giving up is so easy, especially when whatever we're doing is hard or isn't necessarily enjoyable. It's easy to give up when things go wrong. Mike Posner didn't give up, even when he got bitten by a rattlesnake. He was airlifted to the hospital, spent six days in the hospital, and underwent two weeks of rehab. It would've been easy for him to decide not to keep walking after that, but he didn't. He was determined to make it to the other side of the country, and he did.
When things go wrong or get painful, giving up is our initial response. However, when we choose not to give up and decide to keep going, we are able to see what we are capable of. We are able to accomplish so much when we choose to persevere.
