Lessons From The Mountain

As we step into this fresh new year, and as I plot my next mountains to climb—both literally and figuratively—I turn back to the last one for wisdom and guidance. I spent nine days on Mount Kilimanjaro a year and a half ago, which filled me with joy and wonder, tested me, and grounded me. Throughout the journey, I was reminded of some very important perspectives on life, which were later published in a blog post by Tusker Trail.

 No matter what your stage of life, no matter what your current opportunities or challenges, no matter where you live, no matter what your political views, I believe we are all bonded together as one human family. We live in transformational times and messy times—but I think it’s a gift to be part of them and shape our collective future together.

In the spirit of this new year and these changing times, I thought I would dust off these Lessons From The Mountain and share them with you. You can read all of the lessons here, but I selected a few that I think are particularly important now.

Achieving a really big goal is just a series of small goals.

When I looked up at the top of the mountain (or even at the top of a really steep ascent), I thought “I can’t do that. How am I going to do that?!” But every day we hiked to the next camp, and the next camp, until we were standing at the Uhuru Peak at 19,341 feet / 5,895 meters. And all I had to do to get to the next camp was to take a step, and another and another. Sure some steps were harder than others, but all it takes is a step and the persistence to keep taking them. Climbing a mountain is just a series of steps.

Sometimes you have to go backwards (or stay in place) to go forward.

I think we often use forward progress as a gauge for success, but sometimes going what could be perceived as “backwards” or “staying in place” for awhile is what is needed. It’s just how you look at it. I have started over multiple times in my life. Some people thought I was crazy, but I was always happier for it in the end. We spent three days around 13,000 feet as we made our way to the base camp from which we would summit. Could I have done the climb in fewer days? Maybe, but I wouldn’t have had the extra time on the mountain to enjoy it and acclimatize. Sometimes you can’t rush the process, no matter how good you feel or how much you want to.      

 Love the challenges, love it all.

As I trekked, I was reminded of how relatively little of the trail was “perfect,” effortless, and flat. I realized that my mindset can either focus on how steep the trail is, how rocky the trail is, how sandy the trail is, how hot, how cold, how high the altitude…oh if the path would just be perfect and flat then life would be great! Or, my mindset can love every challenge and embrace whatever comes, and when it’s over think “that was an experience!” Turns out the hard stuff is more fun and made me a better person than the perfect path anyway. As we know, life itself is change. Those perfect path moments are beautiful, but sometimes transient. Maybe getting attached to them is what leads to disappointment. We can appreciate and live fully in those perfect moments, and also embrace the rest of the experience that life gives as part of the journey.

 The greatest achievements are worth working for.

Sometimes my mind thinks things like “I wish money would magically appear so that I don’t have to work and could just spend my time volunteering and traveling!” or “I wish I was just done with this marathon right now and was at the finish line receiving my medal without having to finish running it because I’m tired!” In the end though, I know that I really don’t want any of this for a second. It would cheat me out of the experience, the satisfaction of earning it, the character it built, the stories, the memories, and the learning. A good friend told me that when a butterfly breaks out of its chrysalis, the act of it struggling to get out is what creates its colors. So I guess sometimes what seems to break us down actually renews and strengthens us in the end…and the struggle is what makes the reward worth it and gives us our colors.  

 Anything is possible.

The human spirit is unstoppable. We reach for things beyond our imagination, we endure, we achieve. I thought about how easy my climb was compared to what those who originally climbed Kilimanjaro endured, without trails and camps, and without the technical gear we have today. People “climb mountains” every day, in every field, in every place. And we lift others up when they need help. I really believe Paulo Coelho’s words to be true: “When you really want something to happen, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it.”  

 Whatever your mountains are, I wish you success and most of all joy on the journey!