It all about the CLIMB. Thoughts on growth.

Recently I have been asked to give a short talk on what growth mindset means to me. It turns out, a short talk requires quite more thoughts than a long talk... you need to be sharp and straight to the point. There is no second to waste. Normally, I really love an improv. I just write to myself couple of headlines of what I want to talk about and then go with the flow. But this time I made so many notes, that all they practically turned into a ready article. So here they fly your way!

I am a rather straightforward person, so instead of using sophisticated metaphors of growth, let me go with something quite literal, as hiking. Why? One, if it was good enough for Miley Cyrus song, it can as well work for my article purposes. Two, I am a devoted hiker and maybe with sharing the rough experiences of a mountain wanderer, I will discourage more people from trying it (yes, I love to be alone in the wild).

Now to the point, what have I learnt about the growth from hiking?

1. If you intend to climb a mountain, you need to first asses your capabilities. And then test those limits.

In my life, I got numerous people to try hiking (despite my love for solitude) and I saw all kind of attitudes towards it: from my sister attempting to climb a glacier in sneakers, to people showing up geared up robocop-style for an easy spring walk across highlands. Whenever you take up something new, it is really important to make an honest assessment of your own skills and of the task you are trying to take. Do you have the right skills? If not, can you compensate for it? Are there any other resources you can use? What if you still take up the challenge? What is the disadvantage of trying? Is there a downside to it?

In life, you will meet a lot of people who will try to discourage you from taking new tasks or challenges. They will paint dark scenarios of 'what if', tell you that you're crazy, tell you it can't be done. In my life I heard no more times than I can count. What I can and cannot be. What I can and cannot do. Stay put, stay safe, don't raise your hand.

'It always seems impossible until it's done.' (it's not a Nike commercial, it is a Nelson Mandela's quote).

It's true that when you stand at the bottom of the mountain and look up to the sky you have this feeling in your stomach and many times on the way you will hear even your own gut telling you 'this is too hard', 'no way you can climb that wall', 'this is too much.' To challenge my own gut, I like to take those moments when you turn around on different stage of the climb, you look back and down and tell your treacherous gut 'see now, my dear, this is how it's done.'

2. Reaching the summit is not a linear journey, sometimes you need to go down and all around to get back on the right path.

Very often people don't get why some tours take many days. When I was landing in Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro, I heard over a chat from an organized trip sitting next to me. They were asking their guide if they will have a chance to get to the top of Africa during their tour. He told them no, they do not have time for it within their program. 'Why, is there no lift to get there?' they asked. I admired so much composure of this guy. Probably he heard all types of questions in his job by now. So he answered politely, that no, you have to walk and that takes between 6 to 8 days.

In general, if you are to learn something new, to acquire a new skill or to start up a new endeavor, there is no lift... You have to use your own effort and it will cost you time too. You will have days and weeks when you will feel stuck. Instances, when you will have to go backwards in order to move forward. Just like with any hike. You think that the way to the top of the mountain is up. But in reality it is sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes through the valley, sometimes camping for days waiting for the better weather, sometimes turning around and attempting it from the other side... it's never what you thought it would be and the mountains seem to be doing everything to surprise you, even if you know the route. And that's the beauty of it.

3. Be humble, listen, observe and appreciate.

I love those moments when you are deep in the jungle, huffing and puffing through the steep road, celebrating your 'iron human' moment and admiring yourself that you 'made it' and then, out of nowhere, you are passed by an 80-year-old grandma carrying a sack of rice on her back to her village close to the top of the mountain you are attempting to climb. You look at her flip flops and then back at your own super-geared-hiking shoes admiring her balance in the slippery mud.

There is a reason why people climb in groups. There is a reason why Edmund Hillary needed Tenzing Norgay. Mountains are humbling. You discover how insignificant you are, no matter how big your ego, you won't make it on your own. And most of the time there are people who have so much more accumulative experience than you, you'd be simply stupid not to ask, not to use the chance to learn. The rice grandma may not have your PhD in human anatomy but she can give you more hacks how to survive in the mountains than you'd ever come across in your studies.

So shut up from time to time, ask, listen. Don't dismiss people just because they don't have fancy title or are younger or shorter than you.

I have in my team a person (Leanne :)) who consistently impresses me with this skill. She always carries her notebook and, whatever the meeting, she comes out with a pile of notes, almost obsessively listening and scribbling whenever she finds some ideas good. Sometimes she is the smartest person in the room, but she is humble enough not to recognize that. The hunger for knowledge and ability to recognize that we have a lot to learn, no matter how good you are is something that can take you to the top much faster than trying to 'make it on your own', just to prove your own brilliancy.

4. The best part of the growth journey is enjoying the road.

The summits are over-rated. Yes, the view is great. The sense of achievement lasts for couple of minutes when you're there. Then it feels lonely (partially due to lack of internet connection on top of most mountains, so you can't do live broadcast on your social media, that's the ultimate definition of loneliness these days). There is no way up from there. And you just realized you are at the end of a wonderful adventure that you'd hope would last a little bit longer. The path to the summit is the best part and the essence of your journey. Very often we are so blinded by our goal that we are not enjoying what's around us and don't appreciate the moments that lead us to this dream. People we meet on the way. What you learnt about yourself with every step. Some small wins on the path...

Don't miss the way. Try to embrace your experience of learning, growing and achieving new heights. This way, even if you won't reach the summit, this wisdom you acquired on the way will stay with you and transform your life into something new.

Just like my mate Miley is signing

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb :)