For many years of my life, I was very active in the Boy Scouts of America. Over the years of my Scouting experience, I have had the opportunity to go on many outdoor activities, such as campouts, hikes, river rafting trips, and others. One a few occasions, we actually climbed some of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest. During these trips, I learned a great deal about myself and others. Most importantly, I learned something about accomplishment – it is no small task to climb a mountain. As I look back on those experiences later in life, I see that those lessons learned while climbing mountains are the lessons we all need to learn to reach our dreams and to overcome our personal challenges.
Begin with a Plan
The simple fact is that no one climbs a mountain on accident. It is always, under every circumstance, a conscious choice. Likewise, no significant accomplishment in life is reached without the decision to achieve. Like hills and mountains, some accomplishments are great and others small, but the important thing is that we choose to climb them.
Once we set out to climb a mountain, the wise climber makes a plan. Some approaches will be easier than others. Some will be more difficult, even impossible for many. It’s always wise to choose a route that you can complete. With any goal, determine before hand what needs to be done. If some steps must occur in sequence, you should know what order they should be done in and you should have a plan to accomplish them in the necessary manner and time.
Prepare for the Journey
Climbing a mountain is a serious undertaking. Whether a large hill or a mountain of Himalayan proportions, each climb has its own unique challenges. What will you wear? What will you eat? How will you stay hydrated? How will you stay on your predetermined course? Do you have the necessary equipment to climb? Are you prepared for an injury or other accident? No serious climber ignores these questions, nor do they fail to equip themselves properly for the climb. Unfortunately, many people, when faced with their own goals or challenges, fail to ask any of the important questions. People will often set off to conquer their personal Kilimanjaro, but don’t take the right equipment. They fail to get the necessary education or training for the job they really want. Maybe they decide to work out more, but never get around to buying shoes for such an activity. Sometimes people forget about the need to sustain themselves, and don’t give a second thought to financial or medical necessities. Proper preparation is essential to any real accomplishment. In order to prepare you must take the time to consider the many factors that go into such an undertaking. Well worded is the old adage, ‘A failure to prepare is preparation for failure’.
Begin Where You Are
When standing at the base of a mountain, it is easy to wish you were already well on your way or to feel overwhelmed. This is just as true of any other challenge. Many times, people look at something they truly desire and allow themselves to be discouraged by the enormity of the mountain before them. They tell themselves, ‘If only I had more education, more money, more free time, less stress, fewer pounds, fewer debts, better coworkers, or a nicer boss.’ As they list the things standing between them and their goals, they give up. They quit before they even start. They look at the mountain and decide that, because they aren’t half way up it already, it’s too far to climb. But what mountain climber really lets the mountain discourage them from the climb? Instead, they look at the mountain and welcome the challenge. If there is a midpoint that they wish they were at, they decide to climb there, and then to go on as they wanted to.
In our own lives, we need to realize that there are no obstacles, there is merely more mountain to climb. Your own challenges should never prevent you from reaching your goals. Instead of seeing a problem and giving up, set for yourself an intermediate goal, a midway point on your journey up the mountain. If you lack the necessary education for a job, make it an intermediate goal to finish your degree. Like the mountain climber, once that intermediate goal is accomplished, then you will find yourself halfway up the mountain. No matter what your circumstances are and what your goals may be, you cannot hope to begin anywhere but where you are.
Never Climb Alone
For beginning and experienced climbers alike, there is one simple rule. Never climb alone. A climbing partner provides you with all sorts of support – they help carry your gear, dividing the load between you. They help you to keep on the path. They are there to help you if you are hurt. They can help you when you are tired or hungry or sore, keeping you motivated over the more difficult parts of the climb. It’s a fool that climbs a mountain alone.
This same practice is easily applied to the accomplishment of any other task or goal. If your goal is to be in better shape, a partner helps you to remember to work out and helps you stick to your plan. During those times when your own desire wanes, it isn’t uncommon to keep working and progressing if only to please your partner. A partner keeps you accountable for your progress. They help to share the stress or the worry. They give input and offer suggestions. They encourage and support, motivate and reward. It is never a bad idea to have your own ‘climbing partner’, even if it’s just someone who knows what your goal is. Don’t keep your goals a complete secret! Find others to help you and motivate you and you will find that the goal is more easily accomplished.
Difficulty and Changing Terrain
One of the unique aspects of a mountain is that it might have many different types of terrain and different climates. As you climb, some areas are steeper than others, some areas colder, some hotter. Changes in weather can make a simple stretch of path into a serious difficulty. Between the base of the mountain and the summit, there is a variety of change and challenge.
As we work towards our goals, we also find that the terrain changes, becomes more difficult. Sometimes our growth comes slower than we had hoped, requires more work, more time, more energy. Sometimes, events around us create a climate of stress, making even pleasant activities a nearly unbearable burden. Sometimes we experience set backs we had not anticipated, find difficulties we had not foreseen. At these times, it is easy to want to give up. Sometimes, we start to think that one muddy stretch of path is the whole mountain, or that our present challenge won’t ever go away. It’s important to remember that this is not the case. Just as unexpectedly as these challenges arose, they may disappear. A few more steps may lead you from rough rock to a smoother path. Even if it doesn’t, you may quickly learn to navigate through these difficult stretches with more ease, strengthened by the challenges you have already faced.
One Step at a Time
Between base and summit, regardless of what problems you encounter or what advantages you have, a mountain is climbed by putting one foot in front of the other. Even on flat ground, progress requires action, and if you don’t take step after step, again and again, you won’t ever get anywhere. Though a mountain may look daunting, it is still overcome one step at a time. When it is wet and cold and muddy, you simply move forward, step after step. No matter how steep or rough the path, your progress comes the same way, by moving forward one little bit after another.
Other goals are no different. Once a working plan is made, it’s simply a matter of moving from point A to point B. If your goal is a college degree, then you must go to class every day, one at a time, one after the other. If you wish to play the piano, it must be practiced, known skills mastered and new skills learned. If you wish to build your muscles, it is done one repetition at a time. This is important for two major reasons. The first has to do with the long run – moving from the base to the summit. You must realize that you have to take steps. No amount of planning, preparation or determination will amount to anything if you never take the next step. You will instead spend day after day, standing at the base of the mountain. The long term is made up of countless steps, and you must take them.
The second reason it is so important to understand the step by step process is found in the moment. At any given moment in your climb, you may look up at the rest of the mountain and tell yourself that it’s too much, that you can’t do it. Maybe you think it is simply too difficult to lose weight, or to quit smoking. If taken all at once, it probably is. You cannot summit a mountain in one step – it’s too far, it’s too steep. You can, however, take the next step. You can choose to eat something healthy for your next meal. You can choose to go another hour without a cigarette. You can always take one more step even if you don’t think you could do another after that. Knowing this, you can look not at the entire mountain, but at the ground immediately in front of you. Conquer that single piece of ground and you will surely conquer the mountain in time.
Reaching the Summit
When all is said and done, you will reach to peak of your mountain. Step after step, you will finally reach that goal you have longed for, the thing you have worked for. There is something magical about standing on top of a mountain, looking out over the world below. There is a powerful sense of accomplishment as you look back down at the path you have taken, knowing that you are done. There is a sense of profound reverence as you gaze out at the view, knowing that the only people to see it have climbed the very mountain you stand on. Your own goals will feel the same way – the fact that you have worked for them gives them deeper meaning, makes them worth the effort. Remember than anyone who sees the view from atop a mountain has earned that view, and nature has paid them in full for that work.
