Life Lessons from a Mountain Trek
--
Be the hero, you seek.
The insurmountable mountain top in picture, few steep climbs and heavy breath later. May be we should do this tomorrow, we did start late as the hotel owner said. There is a mid way cafe, we can chill there and go down and tomorrow get a fresh start.
Is it this or we are already giving up or the Inner procrastinator banks on the fact we have tomorrow to do this.
Group is falling apart, inner core screams no we need to set an example. Somewhere deep inside a timid voice says, no, let’s try a bit more , if we fail we retreat. Remember Elon Musk says. Let’s go.
Different people have different approaches and opinions, respect them and form your own
How far to the top?
“You will reach by evening.”,It was only 10.30a.m. 🤨
“Some said 5–6 , some said by 4–5” .
Then some one says 2–3 and some one finally said “1.30, you guys are making quick time.”
The small note of encouragement put a spring to our feet. Suddenly, the air felt colder, the good kind and the mood uplifted. The jolly tune started humming in the head.
It takes a village to reach the top
The people who just by the virtue of returning from the top, telling you it is doable are no less than cheerleaders. The people ahead show this can be done. The people with you either push you or even pull you up to the peak. Reminds of something similar Newton said
“If I have seen further,” Isaac Newton wrote in a 1675 letter to fellow scientist Robert Hooke, “it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” — https://fs.blog/shoulders-of-giants/
Big Goals, small actions
One step at a time, take immediate action not overwhelmed by large goals.
The mountain on the whole looks daunting. But when you think I will take 10 steps and see. And then you take 10 steps. When the 10 steps will tough, you say let’s take one step and see. And we literally did this, as we reached top steep parts of trek we took 2 steps and stopped, then other two steps. But we kept going.
Don’t be blinded by your goals
Stop, take a deep breath and look back. Soak in where you are, plan again where you want to go. Look at the last once unsurmountable point on the mountain, now seems like a distant victory. Then look around, soak in where you have reached and then look at the next unsurmountable peak and remind yourself, you will conquer it.
You can do more than the limit you set for yourself
Mind wants to protect you, it will look and calculate the effort and co-relate with the past experiences and try to run in opposite direction. To save you from the physical and the mental pain of giving up. It will prefer, I could have but never tried. But, if you block it and keep going. New paths will open up. New belief system will develop.
When you reach the peak, you will be surprised. I did it. You will reflect, I had my moments of doubt but I did it. This is far beyond my physical capacity, this was my initial thought. I was wrong. The good kind of wrong, the kind which puts a wry smile on your face.
Live to Try another Day
You can’t be at the Top forever, choose when to fall back or you will be forced. Time is a force and one peak is bottom of the other peak. There will always be more.
It was time for descent, there were further peaks but this was our destination. There would be always be more. It is good to enjoy what you have now, then keep seeking for more.
Don’t get the wrong idea. It is not a call to stay stagnant.
Keep hustling but try to figure out when to stop and soak it all in.
