Easter Epiphanies: You will be a winner, eventually.

Joining me on the trail up the Fansipan was a group of Norwegian students who like me had opted for the one day hike. They were undoubtedly an athletic bunch and I was determined to keep up to them, even lead them. This wasn’t difficult in the beginning but as we climbed higher, just catching up to them let alone lead became a challenge. My rapidly falling energy levels, and increasingly panting breaths made me realize that this competition was not doing me any good as this way I was only burning out quicker.

I decided I had to stop completing with the people around me; instead move on this journey at my own pace, with the singular objective of completing the hike. Despite moving at different speeds, me and the Norwegian group would often reach milestones around the same time. That is when it dawned on me - we may be moving at different speeds, taking breaks at different times for different durations, but as long as I kept competing with myself and moved forward, we wouldn't be that far off in the end. I won’t tell you who returned to the start point first, as that in the big picture is immaterial, for we had both achieved our goal - summit Mt.Fansipan within a day.

Epiphany: In this hike up the Fansipan, I and the Norwegian group moved at different pace and yet achieved our goal within similar aggregate time span. In life too we move at a different pace, however in life there isn’t a clear finish line, and so never clear winners. Moving through life driven only by a sense of competition, we end in a perpetual catch up and are likely burn out faster. We may seem leading or lagging our peers temporarily, but in the end we all end not that far off from each other. So, instead focus on achieving the life goals we set for ourselves, at our own pace. You will be a winner, eventually.

This article is part of the 'Easter Epiphanies : 5 lessons revealed through a regrettable decision' series. To read the parent article click here