Of Treks and Careers..

“The best view comes after the hardest climb” - A quote that I have begun to appreciate not just during my trekking experiences over the last 4 years but also in my professional life of close to 3 decades.

Returning last week from what is called as “the most beautiful trek in India” – the Kashmir Great Lakes trek – I had an opportunity to build my thoughts around this theme. The weeklong break, away from the cell phone and in the company of friends, gave me ample opportunity to reflect as well as to soak in the beautiful sights of this part of India. John Muir famously said – “The mountains are calling, and I must go”. For us friends too, what started as a one off bucket list activity, became something of a calling with multiple Himalayan treks in four years across different parts of India.

I also realized that the learnings I gathered during these experiences align very nicely with what I have witnessed in my professional career, so sharing a few here: ?

• A recurrent thought during each of our treks was – “Why should I put myself through this”? However, we’d only be back stronger and soon start planning the next sojourn. Our careers are no different. The joy, the confidence and the learning that comes out of undertaking a difficult assignment is hard to beat. You have to PUSH yourself into it at times, but is well worth it at the end. And eventually it becomes a habit of sorts to try new difficult things.
• Treks are all about teams. Just when you think you are totally done and on the verge of giving up, the team takes you along, like boats on a rising tide – way above your individual abilities. Great teams working on complex projects are no different. Great teams achieve on the basis of collective abilities and back each other up often (the whole is greater than the sum of parts).
• The best team bonding happens on purpose filled missions like these. Ask around at your workplace on when people forged the best bonding and friendship – it will certainly be on a tough program or undertaking. The most fun is also had on the most difficult journeys – on our treks, we’d take time to chat, sing and dance in between and that made our journeys very enjoyable despite the hardship. Good teams take such fun-filled pitstops to recharge and go forward with gusto.
• These journeys are also less about who came first or last (in fact, no one will remember). It’s about the team outcome – whether the entire group completed the trek safely or not – that’s all that matters.
• The mountains make you realize that no one is infallible. It may be the best day for one person – but the worst for another. Showing one’s vulnerabilities and asking for help becomes a habit in such situations – much like good project teams.
• On our treks, we have realized that titles, age, gender, assets, social standing don’t matter. What experience you bring to the trek is all that counts, much like what we see in a professional setup.
• These journeys are all about getting inspired to realize one’s full potential. You also find great role models when you embark on tough journeys, much like that boss or colleague you admire who rolled up his/her sleeves to contribute. And such inspired moments push you to try harder stuff the next time around!
• After a very demanding day, as you are about to give up – the realization and hope that a fresh day can bring about a fresh start is super-crucial. For many trekkers, the day 1 and 2 are probably the hardest and the most likely to give up. All you need to do is wait for the next morning to make a fresh start and voila, things are different! Happens all the time.
• In the mountains, you cannot plan everything beyond a point. Conditions change and we have to adapt quickly, much like unanticipated difficulties in work situations. There will be times when we only have to take that one next step to keep moving in the right direction. “Don’t over-analyze, just do it” becomes the mantra.
• Treks show that we can keep stretching our boundaries only to realize there are no boundaries. Extraordinary efforts lead to extraordinary outcomes/sights. At the workplace, I am shocked to see how many times people shun great learning opportunities disguised as difficulties, only because they want to play in the comfort zone.
• Treks show that the doer becomes the master. Its all in the doing - not in the planning or strategizing beyond a point. Nothing beats “been there done that”. No amount of geography reading will make you qualify compared to that one tough mountain ascent you went on.
• There is a thrill in uncharted journeys. We are wired that way as humans. Amidst the comfort zone, we must find the path that’s less taken. We all need that, much like fresh professional experiences every now and then.
• Last but not the least, my treks taught me to make the time for Gratitude. The small things that we take for granted. Simple food to sustain, ability to walk/climb, breathe fresh air, hear the birds and smell the flowers, hearty laugh with friends- the list goes on – can’t be thankful enough for all that we have. Great workplace experiences are also built on a whole lotta gratitude.

As someone said, “It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Whilst still being an infant on this scene, I can say that the journey of conquering oneself has begun. I want to end with a thank you to my trek friends, who are more like family to me. You know who you are!

I am keen to hear about your experiences. Cheers!