My Travails & Travels…from the Valley to the Peak!

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves! said Sir Edmund Hillary, man who scaled Mount Everest. 

I spent most of my childhood and adolescence watching the Himalayas from afar, always in awe and with longing. Such was their mystic pull that finally, after what felt like a lifetime, I spent a week in a camp in the Himalayas experiencing and practising the art of strengthening self….my “inner being”. Conquering the external world does seems easy, when one has mastered oneself. 

These few days in the midst of mighty Himalayas was a journey of a lifetime. It helped me fall deeper and climb higher! I fell and bowed in gratitude (much of what I have today is were some of my wildest dreams long time ago), I fell from my lofty pedestal of worldly title and rank, I fell deep and hard and I didn’t feel a thing! At the same time, I rose higher and unshackled myself of my fears: of failure, of rejection, of starting over…I truly transcended! Nature healed the soul, Ayurveda worked to integrate my body, mind and spirit and Meditation helped me fathom meaning and purpose of life.

At a metaphorical level, What I experienced was that:

1. Every once in a while, we must allow ourselves to “feel the silence”, hear its deafening roar before we calm the tempest.
2. Let our souls strengthen, which happens when we let our cup to run over…cup of fear, anxiety, rejection, failure. Empty it out
3. Lift our foot off the firm ground and take a huge leap of faith. Wings will grown as we soar down.
4. Its ok to fall and meander like the river, Slope and then rise like a valley, Stand tall and then soar like the Everest!. 

In our corporate parlance, what I would urge us all to do is

1. Learn to prioritise self. Set aside “me time”. Reach out to learn from those who do it better…
2. Stop procrastinating. Don’t sit on the fence forever. Act. Seek out those who’ve been there, done that…They know what to do
3. Invest in yourself. Start by introspecting, then reflect and then swiftly back it up by assertive action. If you don’t, who will?
4. Give it all that you’ve got. Be “all in”. Stop hedging. Maybe burn few bridge so there Is no looking behind, no going back!

In the beginning we journey to lose ourselves. Often, thereafter we journey to find ourselves! 

What is it going to be for you?