The Edge is everywhere

Pursuing The Edge defies the safe, comfortable, and routine. There are few things that are more uncomfortable and less routine than actively defying the expectations of others in the pursuit of a deeply personal goal. The social value, how that goal will be judged by others, is of little to no consequence to somebody chasing The Edge. Challenging acts are often maligned by the comfortable mass. Why waste your time on that frivolous thing that drives you to the extremes of your ability when you can be doing this frivolous thing that everybody else thinks is important even though it demands slightly more effort than merely showing up? You have to believe in the value of your pursuit if you are to persevere through the depths of the struggle. The call to turn back, do what you've always done, do what everybody expects, do what everybody else does, will become more seductive the longer you toil. The comfortable mass entices. The Edge challenges, taunts, and intimidates.

The process of pushing for something more is the essence of The Edge. The actual activity is not important. The activity's relationship to what you want to accomplish, what you want to become, is vital. Writing product reviews requires me to get closer to The Edge than taking online MBA classes. Most people would probably say that MBA classes have more value to me than product reviews, but I gain more from writing those reviews than taking a multiple choice quiz. I strive to say something unique and meaningful in those reviews. The effort to create something novel requires me to give my best effort. The act of striving for something beyond what I've done before changes me just a touch. It gets me that much closer to The Edge. MBA classes just require me to put in the time to understand some concepts of questionable validity long enough to answer some questions on an exam. I learned how to do that a long time ago. I may learn something. I may become more competent, but there is nothing to discover in that process.