Setting your summit

I have written a good old-fashioned motivational post in a while.

So here goes… :)

I think life is a bit like climbing a mountain.

This isn’t an original metaphor. In fact, anything that Miley Cyrus sings about (after all, it is all about the climb) disqualifies itself from being an original thought ;)

What I think is important – is that we must decide where we want the summit of that mountain to be. Where are you climbing to? What is your destination?


Is it worth the climb to you?

My goals are written on post-its and stuck to my bathroom mirror.

It helps me remember that the climb - the hard stuff - is worth it. 

And yesterday, I reached a summit that I never thought I'd reach this soon.  After a year of writing, editing, pitching, and negotiating, my book was officially released by my publisher. 

A year’s worth of effort. A year of climbing.

And the view is great – it always is when you reach a goal – when you get an “A” on a test, finish a research paper, graduate, or get a first job that excites you. The feeling is self-worth – the understanding that our effort is being recognized. 

But here’s the deal - there is a reason adventurers climb Everest, right?

I think that at some level, those who wish to do something great undeniably commit to reaching greater heights. 

So if we want to be great, we have to keep climbing.

Grades are cumulative, relationships bloom and must be cultivated; degrees build towards other degrees, and graduations lead to jobs.  And the reality is that your first job most likely won’t be your last.

It doesn’t mean that the view isn’t great when you reach a peak - it is such a rush.

It just means that you will have option to stop and decide that the view you have found is good enough, or push onward to the higher peak – to go onward to the next post-it note on your bathroom mirror.

Because that is what life requires from us, especially if we want to build something, find success, fulfill our highest potential, and give the world our greatest contributions. 

So press forward and trust that the view you can reach will be one worth the climb. Because you have so much to give.