Dagny Taggart is my hero. She is a main character in Ayn Rand's book, Atlas Shrugged. This is my favorite book of all time. Seriously, if you haven't read it...I'll buy you a copy.
Dagny is just this powerhouse of a individual. She is strong, assertive, and competent. In the novel she goes up against what would seem like an impossible task.
The whole nation is falling apart and she has to build a railroad in 9 months to save Colorado. Colorado is pretty much the only thing keeping the blood pumping to what is the rest of the United States. Her brother is an idiot. Oh, and the President of Taggart Transcontinental, the railroad. Dagny is Vice President of Operations....but she pretty much runs the show.
Anyways, I feel I am doing a horrible job of setting this whole thing up. My point is, almost every single thing that could go wrong does. Companies that manufacture parts for her engines and rail line go out of business, or their owners suddenly decide to retire. Her brother has friends in Washington with agenda's who are all out to get something for nothing. The rest of her entire line, her entire empire, depends on the John Galt Line.
Guess what? She dies. I'm just kidding, she finishes the freaking railroad. I tell you what. The whole description of her riding the first run of that line is amazing...the description of the feeling that she has. It is more than pride. It is almost like a confirmation of her abilities that she new she had all along, that she thought the whole world would strive to have. Instead they choose to be moochers and looters.
Have you ever had to build your own John Galt Line? Have you came upon a task or goal or dream that just seemed so impossible? Like it was as if all that you needed were some nails, but there were no hardware stores, and all the nails in homes and other structures had already been taken. The plants who produce the nails have shut down because the resources needed to make the nails are extinct.
I've heard that when you are out of your comfort zone, worried, or uneasy about a task, goal, or endeavor, that is when the most learning and growth can take place. I've been thinking all day about how this new project I am taking on is like my John Galt Line and oh, how easy it would be to just curl up and go back to sleep or ya know, back to my day job.
Sometimes we are stretched. We are pushed to do something great. To be better. To learn and grow to be closer to the amazingly powerful individual that we have potential to be.
How many people can look at their life and say, "I grew. I became better. I refused to just sit around and stagnate."
I implore you, build your railroad. Do whatever it takes. Do not be afraid and cower. Live your life. Face challenges head on.
And when all is said and done,
Let a smile out and show your teeth, cause you know you lived it well.
-Saves The Day
