Every Step Counts

 “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.” - Confucius

I have participated in many marathons but this was my very first Vertical marathon, to climb 73 storeys in one go. Out of excitement I have registered for it, but as the date gets closer many questions on top of the mind that whether I can make it to the top?. I had very little practice, as climbing stairs is a specific movement (read the biomechanics of hip, knee, ankle and angles) unlike running or weights at gym to build the muscle endurance.

My home is only 5-storey building, so the practice I had is not to greater heights. The day before the event, anxiety built up then a friend of mine called me to go for final practice to a place nearby with 33 storeys and out of excitement I said ‘Yes’ with added complexity “lets twice! I was quite ok when we did the first 33 then instead of taking lift to go down, in excitement we climb down stairs before next ascend. It was actually not a great choice, and it killed me in the second climb, due to the intense climb up/down, the nervous system caused leg muscles to contract and fatigue causing muscles to shake and I also felt that low levels of glucose in the muscles and dehydration. But I made it to the top 66 storeys combined. It helped me to do the necessary adjustments for the next day, which is the race day. Despite of lots of questions in my mind but I finally made it to the top. But every step that counted during this process and some many questions/thoughts stuck my mind while climbing every step and behind every question there is a nugget of hidden wisdom, which applies to life or workplace. 

1.    Joy is in the journey:

In any race, your timing is captured at the starting point and at the end point to calculate your pace/productivity. However, all the action and the learning happen between these two extreme points, so it is absolutely important to enjoy the journey, rather than focussing all the energy on the future or on the end point. How many of us look for excitement with numerous learning opportunities in our job role every day rather than doing things monotonously to last longer?

2.    Leadership and support:

We need positive encouragement around us, to help us you to realise our dreams and aspirations. After halfway through the climb, my buddy who was 2 steps behind me to make sure I do not fall back or stop. He would’ve completed the race in 15 minutes easily but was with me to support me morally. We truly believe in “Leave No Man/Woman Behind”, but practice what you preach is different, which reminds me the role of a leader and individual goal vs. team goal.

3.    Keep it simple:

A lot of people are judgemental to some degree or another about the appearances or jumping to negative moral conclusions about others too quickly. During the climb, I came across few were grunting, pushing others or lack of breath but equally noticed the best and natural smiles even perspiring or shortness of breath and motivating each other by saying “you can do it”. How often do we see such humble and simple situations in the rat race!

4.    Change doesn’t happen overnight:

My simple learning out of slow and steady wins the race is be consistent despite impossible odds and be mindful and not worried about racing to the finish with lots of mistakes. You need to be content with small steps. Small steps that you take every day so when you look back down the road it all add up and you know you covered some distance. We need to have patience to take one step at a time and every little progress we make can lead to happy results.

5.    Be agile or remain fragile.

Many of us often stuck to the same routine for decades and fear to try something new, which is out of the way. Agility is the willingness and the ability to rapidly change, adapt to the changes in the work environment and the nimbleness you display as you adapt to the changes quickly which are the keys to future workplace. Some roads need to walk first, and then able to choose whether we can adapt or change.