Years ago, I attended a class on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training. CPR.
The goal: learn what to do when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. Learn how to save a life.
At the beginning of class, the instructor posed a difficult question to the group.
"What if it doesn't work?"
What if—despite your best efforts—the person lying before you is definitely not coming back to life. What if you are too late. What if they are unalterably dead and that's that. Should you keep administering CPR, regardless? Keep pumping away? Keep trying?
The instructor urged us, "Try anyway."
Even when things seem futile, she explained, trying is always worth it. And, she told us several convincing reasons why:
1. Trying is worth it...because people will see you in action.
Bystanders will see you acting courageously in spite of nervousness, adrenaline, and chaos all around. These people might think to themselves, “I want to learn how to do that.” They might sign up for a CPR course, get trained, and save someone’s life in the future. Because you tried.
2. Trying is worth it...because you will provide greater peace of mind to people who are grieving.
Family members won’t have to agonize, wondering, “But what if someone had known CPR?” They will know that every possible action was taken to save their loved one. Because you tried.
3. Trying is worth it...because somebody else might get to live.
Even if your victim is dead and cannot be revived, performing CPR helps to circulate blood through the victim’s body, which means that some of their organs may still “live” long enough to be transported to a hospital. If the victim is an organ donor, that means that their organs can be given to someone who desperately needs them. You will be fulfilling the victim’s dying wishes and be saving a life—even if the life you are saving is not the person lying in front
of you. Because you tried.
Some days, I wonder if my efforts matter much. Raising money for a good cause. Using recycled paper. Purchasing from a small local business. Writing an essay that might reach thousands of readers or maybe just one or two people, who knows?
All of these efforts—is it worth it? Does it matter? Or is it just a drop in the ocean, miniscule and pointless?
Then I remember the CPR class. The practice dummy on the ground. The teacher's words.
"Trying is always worth it."
When you try, it matters. It could make a difference in one person's life, and that is a big deal. It could spark a ripple effect that is bigger than you ever imagined. And sometimes, trying is purely about peace of mind. Knowing that you did something instead of doing nothing. Living in the solace that this knowledge provides.
Consider something in your life, career, or community that feels too difficult, too complicated, too broken, or too big to solve.
Whatever it is, try anyway.
And if you already tried?
Try again.
-Alex
PS. "Whatever you do won't be enough. Try anyway." —Barack Obama
PPPS. What's your most important goal for 2021? Write down 5 reasons why you really want to do this. Reasons to care. Reasons to try. Reasons why this matters to you. And if you want, click *reply* and share your list with me and my team. We'd love to see it. We love goals. And, we love hearing stories about hoping, caring, and trying.