Go Climb a Mountain

Whether it's a metaphorical peak or a 10,000-foot summit, find your mountain, set your goal, and embark on the journey to conquer it. Your mountain represents something more physically or mentally challenging than anything you've accomplished. Conquering this "mountain" will require careful planning, taking decisive action steps, and making positive changes in your personal or professional life.

This edition of Thrive is about personal observations and bits of wisdom from life mentors I have encountered over the last decade or so of life and deciding on your mountain. Undoubtedly, each of us has our mountain to climb—whether it's obtaining a new certification, purchasing a home, launching a business, scaling an actual mountain, or completing a half marathon (my personal mountain).

Over a decade ago, during a conversation about retirement and my anticipation of it, a dear friend and father figure, Monsignor Richard Mouton, offered me unexpected advice. In his characteristic manner, he looked me in the eye and said, "Mr. Toups, you will not retire." His words caught me off guard. Retirement had been on my mind, and I had been planning for it for years. "Why not retire?" I asked. "It won't be beneficial for you," he replied.

He went on to explain that he had seen too many people who had become focused only on themselves in retirement or started to “take it easy” only to see a steep decline in their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. “Work part-time, continue working, or find something new to do. Keep moving Mr. Toups.” He always called me Mr. Toups if it was a serious conversation and wanted to get my attention. Otherwise, he called me Jay.

What does this have to do with "climbing mountains"? Everything! Now, a decade later, I understand that he wanted me to continue challenging myself spiritually, mentally, and physically. Embracing challenges keeps us sharp and focused. From that sharpness arises a joy in life and career that leads to a deeper sense of purpose.

As the coming year unfolds, my next mountain is preparing to run a half marathon. I have never run that far by any means, but it is a mountain with many lessons ahead. Lessons about perseverance, patience, failure, success, and many more.

This month's lesson is straightforward: Keep moving. Starting on any challenging endeavor inevitably brings moments when we want to throw in the towel or believe the task is impossible. In the past two weeks of training, I found that simply keeping moving was far more challenging than I had anticipated. There were times when I wanted to skip a day or quit midway through a run. Yet, I kept reminding myself, "Keep moving, Jay.” Even if you are moving slowly, walk if you must, but keep moving!"

The first step toward achieving your goals is to begin. And once you've started, the toughest part is to keep moving forward.

God Bless,

Jay Toups

President and CEO

High Performance Teams, by RMR Inc.