Doing Hard Things

This is hilarious. I sent myself this postcard a few days after summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, and it arrived this week.

It’s clear by my flat affect that I was still recovering from what was – without hesitation – the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Because the truth is, I had no business climbing that rock.

I’m a flatlander. I get winded walking up the stairs. I’m afraid of heights. A couple of sprint triathlons and the occasional 5K are about the peak of my athletic abilities. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone to describe me as “tough.”

Sure, I trained in the months leading up to the climb. I watched all the YouTube videos I could find. I studied the itinerary. I knew what to expect.

But no amount of training could prepare me for the unforgiving terrain, or eight days at high altitude, or climbing for 5+ hours a day, or doing all of this with 15 pounds of weight on my back. It’s a mental game at that point.

I sent myself this postcard as a reminder that, as my favorite author says, "You can do hard things.”

Was it terrible? At times, absolutely. But so worth it. And not just for the bragging rights that come with propelling yourself up Africa's tallest mountain. But worth it for the reminder that when faced with a challenge or finding myself outside my comfort zone, I can do hard things. I have overcome hard things, and I will endure more hard things in the future.

When you face mountains in your personal and professional life, what do you do?

I never thought I was the type to climb up them – and yet there I was at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro at 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2022, holding back tears of gratitude, relishing in the snow-capped sunshine, and proving myself wrong.

“That was terrible. You’re stronger than you think,” I wrote five days later.

Damn right, I am. Next time I’ll listen.