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Calling All Daredevils

Leave it to an in-flight magazine to ask the hard-hitting questions. On a recent flight to London, I was forced to choose between striking up a conversation with the loud talker next to me and perusing the contents of the pocket in front of me. Needless to say, I chose the pocket. Having exhausted my airsickness bag (figuratively), I tore into my copy of American Way (literally).

The main story featured the results of the airline's recent "Ultimate Road Warrior" contest. The article presented a number of well-traveled businesspeople and a few details about their annual travel habits. Some of the globetrotters took as few as 12 trips and some took as many as 50. One spent just 65 days on the road last year while another spent 322 away from home. The winners were married and single, male and female, big company employees and sole proprietors. The only thing they seemed to have in common was jetlag. I enjoyed reading the interviews and learning a bit about each winner.

Then I noticed that the magazine editors had confronted each winner with the age-old question: "Truth or Dare?". (Oh, they went there.) Finally, I thought to myself, a nugget of information suitable for a sophisticate such as myself. (Pass the foie gras, please.) Sadly, my foie de vivre was short lived. (Mon dieu!)

You'll never guess how many winners selected "Truth". (I'll give you a hint: It's 100%.) I was incredulous.

Who were these yellow-bellied pencil pushers? Where were the adventurous souls I expected? Perhaps a year on the road had made them a bit too conservative. Their decision to play it safe got me thinking about the essence of the game.

In the name of over-analysis, stop and think about what's behind the choice for a moment:

"Truth" is a revelation. Truth is focused on the past. What will I be asked to share from my previous experiences? What will others find out about me? Will they still like me?

"Dare" is a commitment. Dare is focused on the future. What will I be asked to do? Will it be the most embarrassing thing I've ever done? Will it involve foie gras?

In the end, either selection involves a loss of control on the part of the one in the hot seat. When it's your turn, you don't get to pick what to reveal and you don't get to pick what you'll be asked to do. That's kind of the point. It's embracing this element of the unknown that makes the game fun in the first place.

In the same vein, you can't know with perfect certainty whether or not you will achieve your goal. That part doesn't seem like much fun, I know. Still, we do know with perfect certainty that to make an important personal change in your life, you're going to have to do more than just talk about it - you're going to have to actually do something about it.

And so which of the two choices is about telling/words and which is about doing/action? Truth is about telling; Dare is about doing. (That's a handy mnemonic, if ever there were one.) Next time you find yourself on the business end of the question, take a stand for action! Throw caution to the wind! Get ready to eat something disgusting!

Jump up and exclaim "Dare!" in honor of anyone who has ever talked about a really great thing in life but hasn't done a damn thing about it. (This is a big percentage of the population, by the way.) If you want to play privately, that can work too:

• Dare yourself to write down your top 3 life goals
• Dare yourself to reach out to someone you've never met and ask for help
• Dare yourself to commit to making an important change and to making it stick

So I ask you - Truth or Dare? Think carefully about your response. Your ability to achieve your goals may very well depend on it.

I find that the question can be as telling as those other timeless philosophical questions: Paper or plastic? Boxers or briefs? (I'll take "commando" for $1000, Alex.)

I think I'll stick to Dare from now on.

Coaching Quickie: Calling All Daredevils

Check back next week for results!

Last Week's Results

Coaching Quickie: Baggage Handler
How would you rate your baggage retention when it comes to negative frames of mind?

(0%) Gordon Lightfoot - I don't let those things hold me back.
(36%) Backpacker - I've got a bit of extra load, but it's manageable overall.
(27%) Desert Camel - I'm carrying more than I'd like right now.
(36%) Pack Rat - My mental attic is jammed with the stuff.