Why do hard things - Lessons learned from my latest(hardest) hike

Last week on our Sprint break trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, we decided to hike Camelback Mountain, which is 2700 feet in elevation and very steep. We climbed the Echo Canyon trail on our way up and the Cholla trail on our way down. I have been enjoying hikes on our past few vacation trips, and the Echo Canyon trail was the most arduous.?

As I was 3/4 way hiking up, I started reflecting on some valuable leadership lessons I learned along my way up and wanted to share them with you all.?

1. Having the mindset:?This trekking required great physical and significant mental strength. For physical strength, I have been doing strength training twice a week since June last year. Even though there were several warnings and notices about how the hike can be "Incredibly Challenging," I did not allow that to sway my decision to stay behind comfortably. I was more excited about the effort I intended to put into climbing the rocky mountain.?
2. Do not compare:?People of all sexes, sizes, and shapes were climbing the mountain. The more challenging it got, I decided to focus on myself. If I started looking at someone who looked like they do this climbing on their lunch break every day, it does not do me any good. I concentrated only on my journey and progress and ignored other trekkers, including my 10-year-old son(I only kept an eye on him for safety reasons), who was climbing like a pro.?
3. Sometimes, the easier path is just there:?As I was climbing, I noticed that strategizing the next few steps was useful. A more manageable course is often nearby if I pay attention and look around. So I figured out "my" path instead of loosely following the people before me.?
4. The whole journey can be daunting:?Whenever I hit a challenging spot to climb, if I looked up at the remaining hike, it would have probably exhausted me to see the whole remaining journey. So, I avoided doing that and focused on climbing the next couple of boulders.
5. Multiple stops:?I listened to my body the whole way and stopped as needed to hydrate, lower my heartbeat or enjoy the view. It helped me tremendously with the next part of the journey.?
6. Opportunity to help others: We noticed a guy throwing up on our way up, close to halfway. We stopped and offered him a bottle of our water. He shared that he overdid this hike and is exhausted now. He decided to stay back at that stop until his partner came down.?
7. People want to pass you:?Many wanted to pass by me since my pace was slower than theirs. I was comfortable with my pace, did not get pressured by others, stopped and asked if they wanted to pass, and allowed them if they wanted to. I made it a point to thank anyone who patiently allowed me to climb and did not rush to pass.?
8. Take all the encouragement:?Whenever I got to talk, I made it a point to let many of my fellow hikers know that this was THE most strenuous hike I have ever done. Many of them encouraged me and motivated me to continue. Those are all great energy boosters to help me continue uphill.?
9. "Atta Girl" vs. "Can you do it?":?I love my son and husband dearly. What I noticed was the way I responded to their loving care. Whenever I climbed a supposedly more challenging boulder, my son gave me an "Atta Girl." It made me feel awesome and was super encouraging to go further. On the other hand, my loving husband, whenever he asked, Can you do it? - I realized it made me less motivated to climb up. I lovingly requested him to stop asking me that.?
10. Get help:??I did not hesitate to receive and ask for help a few times and took help immediately when my fellow hikers offered it. It helped me move up quicker in trickier spots. Everyone who helped me enjoyed helping me move up and cheered me on.?

So, why do hard things? Because it made me stronger physically and mentally, I realized I could hike for about 6 hours(including rests), which I had never done before. I am so proud of myself for doing this hardest hike!

I also read somewhere that choosing to do what's difficult makes us stronger to face difficult things.

The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times — although such experiences can also be enjoyable if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi