A presence that knows its present

I wanted to share an achievement that was very reflective of the 2019 I had and the lessons I took from it. In June of last year I completed the 3 peaks challenge to raise money for the great work The Silverline and CarersTrust do. It is a 25km walk for the Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge which also involved climbing three of the highest peaks in the UK in under 12 hours. This is one of the many of the charitable fronts of the property industry, many companies often setting out on daring adventure or fun days to raise money for charitable causes. This walk was to be done in groups of 8, everyone lodging at a barn without tv, social media and any other distraction. This was a chance to meet and network with different people from the company. It was well organized and any time out of the office is always good.

During the walk I was faced with the realization of the limits of my motivation. The walk went reasonably fine, as fine as it could go in non-stop rain and winds that only worsened the higher you climbed. The realization came much later about 10 hours in when I was arriving at the base of Pen-y-Ghent (the last and largest of the 3 peaks). I arrived with numb feet, heavy legs and a tired spirit, I said to myself and probably out loud, “I can’t do this” and I was right I genuinely couldn’t.

I had no more energy. The weather and sheer size of the mountain had more control over the situation than I had. No matter how many mixed nuts for a quick hit of protein I had packed, high sugar snacks for quick bursts of energy I had tried to consume. No amount of water could quell the burning cramps that were setting in on both my calves.

This is where I decided to stop walking with my group, drop all the pretences and comparison and fully surrender to the sheer environment. You see up until now I had been keeping pace with the fastest members of my group, who were also some of the fastest members in the whole walk.

They had been very helpful in keeping my stride and often times boosted the drive to not let up. They kept me from taking a “just a quick break” which any walking novice will know these breaks tend to be more pain than recuperation. This comment was a huge departure from my MO as a “can do attituder” and a big advocate of speaking positively.

I couldn’t get up Pen-y-Ghent at the pace my team mates did, I couldn’t rely on anyone to smooth the journey upwards or an external force to push me forward. I couldn’t just motivate or positive think myself to just power through and move my legs. What I did at the base was that I accepted that:

● I couldn’t rely on anyone to do this for me.

● I (or my mind) was the one to overcome not Pen-y-Ghent.

● Getting here was my own doing and how I proceeded will be my own choice.

Upon realizing these, a path cleared up in my mind, this was going to be a journey travelled one step at a time. The cramps still there, the lack of energy despite, the adverse conditions still in force. This journey would have to be at my own pace. This lesson was against relying heavily on comparison and competition as your sole motivator, a future post will be dedicated to sources of motivation when you are just in those starting out stages.

The second lesson was that in the hilly and endless green landscape of Yorkshire Dales, the only way back to the bunker was the way you came with no reasonable alternatives. I had seen many people quit the walk only to have to walk back over 10km back to the Bunker. I had put myself in a position where I couldn’t retreat, it was just as much pain to press on as it was to retreat.

It’s only slight concept but it is the power of all those previous affirmative decisions to press on from the very start that I was present. It was because I was the base of Pen-y-Ghent that I could take steps forward towards the top of Pen-y-Ghent and overcome myself.

Think about this next time you are standing at the base of an overwhelming situation or walking to that crucial meeting that you are challenging the status quo. It is really a biblical way of saying to each a measure of faith is given. It is because you are in an adverse environment that you can act to overcome yourself and your obstacles. It because you have a heavy load that you can be strong.

Goals are great, and pressure creates diamonds, but there is nothing greater than a presence that knows it is a present, these challenging circumstances can often bear multiple gifts. To all the YBGS’ I hope you know you are a gift to your environment. It is because you are present, it is because you are in the room opposite that interviewer, panel, board. It’s because you have made it to the base of your “career’s Pen-y-Ghent that you can move forward and to the summit. You are on mountainous ground but take it one step at a time and you will certainly make it. Keep going and pace yourself and generate energy from depleted stores by remembering that you have made it this far but don’t stop there.

Mine was a move from a position of weakness in front of the situation to the creation of the ideal outcome through action no matter how small. I am happy to say I completed the walk within 12 hours’ time limit and although my team went ahead and completed much earlier than this. I went on to meet a new team of 3 of “slow walkers” who I think were at the final stages of their energy reserves, we gave each other time, company and space to fight our individual battles and finish our individual races.