You’ve had the sneak peek and today you will get to read the first chapter. This is a book written by teen brothers. I am definitely impressed. Of course, this book grabbed my attention right away as the forward was written by Chuck Norris. I got hung up on Chuck Norris and his movies when I worked on my first cruise ship and that passion for Chuck remains. Therefore, when I read the forward, I realized that indeed these young authors are special. Alex and Brett Harris have been doing hard things for several years now and have spent a great deal of that time encouraging other teens to do hard things. I wish they were around when I wasted my teen years doing what some called hard things, but for me were easy. I’ve coasted through a lot of years, but these twins have encouraged me to set down and write new life goals. I want to do hard things. Grab a glass of ice tea, lemonade or even water as you sit down to read. You won’t want to stop until you’ve finished this book. Oh, one other thing for all the teen girls out there. There’s a picture of Alex and Brett on the back cover. Not only are they smart, they’re also cute!
Here’s the first chapter.
MOST PEOPLE DON’T…A different kind of teen bookMost people don’t expect you to understand what we’regoing to tell you in this book. And even if you understand,they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care,they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even ifyou do something about it, they don’t expect it to last. Well, we do. This is a different kind of teen book. Check online or walkthrough your local bookstore. You’ll find plenty of bookswritten by fortysomethings who, like, totally understand whatit’s like being a teenager. You’ll find a lot of cheap throwawaybooks for teens because young people today aren’t supposedto care about books or see any reason to keep them around.And you’ll find a wide selection of books where you never have to read anything twice—because the message is dumbed-down. Like, just for you. What you’re holding in your hands right now is a challengingbook for teens by teens who believe our generation isready for a change. Ready for something that doesn’t promisea whole new life if you’ll just buy the right pair of jeans or usethe right kind of deodorant. We believe our generation isready to rethink what teens are capable of doing and becoming.And we’ve noticed that once wrong ideas are debunkedand cleared away, our generation is quick to choose a betterway, even if it’s also more difficult. We’re nineteen-year-old twin brothers, born and raised in Oregon, taught at home by our parents, and striving to followChrist as best we can. We’ve made more than our share of mistakes.And although we don’t think “average teenagers” exist,there is nothing all that extraordinary about us personally. Still, we’ve had some extraordinary experiences. At age sixteen, we interned at the Alabama Supreme Court. At seventeen,we served as grass-roots directors for four statewide political campaigns. At eighteen, we authored the most popularChristian teen blog on the web. We’ve been able to speakto thousands of teens and their parents at conferences inthe United States and internationally and to reach millionsonline. But if our teen years have been different than most,it’s not because we’re somehow better than other teens, butbecause we’ve been motivated by a simple but very big idea.It’s an idea you’re going to encounter for yourself in the pagesahead. We’ve seen this idea transform “average” teenagers intoworld-changers able to accomplish incredible things. Andthey started by simply being willing to break the mold ofwhat society thinks teens are capable of. So even though the story starts with us, this book reallyisn’t about us, and we would never want it to be. It’s aboutsomething God is doing in the hearts and minds of our generation.It’s about an idea. It’s about rebelling against lowexpectations. It’s about a movement that is changing the attitudesand actions of teens around the world. And we wantyou to be part of it. This book invites you to explore some radical questions: • Is it possible that even though teens today have morefreedom than any other generation in history, we’reactually missing out on some of the best years of ourlives? • Is it possible that what our culture says about the purpose and potential of the teen years is a lie and thatwe are its victims? • Is it possible that our teen years give us a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for huge accomplishments—asindividuals and as a generation? • And finally, what would our lives look like if we setout on a different path entirely—a path that requiredmore effort but promised a lot more reward? We describe that alternative path with three simplewords: “do hard things.” If you’re like most people, your first reaction to the phrase“do hard things” runs along the lines of, “Hard? Uh-oh. Guys,I just remembered that I’m supposed to be somewhere else.Like, right now.” We understand this reaction. It reminds us of a story welike to tell about a group of monks. Yep, monks. On the outskirts of a small town in Germany is the imaginaryabbey of Dundelhoff. This small stone monastery ishome to a particularly strict sect of Dundress monks, whohave each vowed to live a life of continual self-denial anddiscomfort. Instead of wearing comfy T-shirts and well-worn jeans likemost people, these monks wear either itchy shirts made fromgoat hair or cold chain mail worn directly over bare skin.Instead of soft mattresses, pillows, and warm blankets, theysleep on the cold stone floors of the abbey. You might haveread somewhere that monks are fabulous cooks? Well, notthese monks. They eat colorless, tasteless sludge—once a day.They only drink lukewarm water. We could go on, but you get the picture. No matter whatdecision they face, Dundress monks always choose the moredifficult option, the one that provides the least physical comfort,holds the least appeal, offers the least fun. Why? Becausethey believe that the more miserable they are, the holier theyare; and the holier they are, the happier God is. So these miserable monks must be poster boys for “dohard things.” Right? Wrong! We’re not plotting to make your life miserable. We’re not recommending that you do any and every difficult thing. Forexample, we’re not telling you to rob a bank, jump off a cliff,climb Half Dome with your bare hands, or stand on your head for twenty-four hours straight. We are not telling you todo pointless (or stupid) hard things just because they’re hard.And if you’re a Christian, we’re certainly not telling you thatif you work harder or make yourself uncomfortable on purpose,God will love you more. He will never—could never—love you any more than He does right now. So that’s what we’re not doing. What we are doing is challengingyou to grab hold of a more exciting option for yourteen years than the one portrayed as normal in society today.This option has somehow gotten lost in our culture, and mostpeople don’t even know it. In the pages ahead, you’re goingto meet young people just like you who have rediscoveredthis better way—a way to reach higher, dream bigger, growstronger, love and honor God, live with more joy—and quitwasting their lives. In Do Hard Things, we not only say there is a better way todo the teen years, we show you how we and thousands ofother teens are doing it right now and how you can as well.
