How Summiting A Mountain Can Help You Overcome Personal Challenges

Hiking is an amazing form of exercise. It gets us outdoors and helps us explore nature, and we get to spend time with our closest friends.

We fill our backpacks with our snacks, sunscreen and water in anticipation of the day ahead. We get started early in the morning after a big breakfast because we know we need all the energy we can get to make it the entire way up the trail.

We get going, wondering how long we can go before one of us needs a rest. And at that point, right before we reach the tippy top of the mountain, the final stretch, we feel like it could go on forever.

Our muscles ache, and we are tired and anxious to be done. When we finally reach the end, we take in a beautiful view, indulge in a much-deserved rest and feel the smiles on our faces.

After all of our hard work, we finally reached the peak. We are relieved, awestruck and, most of all, proud of the results of our determination.

We all need to reach the summit at some point of our lives. We need to feel that satisfaction of attaining our goal.

Not enough people allow themselves to experience the discomfort and endure the burning of their legs long enough to reach a peak in their lives. They settle for a pretty little lookout, halfway up the mountain, and then they turn around and head home.

But, to reach success in all areas of our lives, we must take what we learn in the trek of summiting a peak, and apply that to the metaphorical mountains we face throughout the rest of our lives.

Planning

Summiting a mountain requires dedication and a plan. It teaches us to approach difficult tasks by breaking them into smaller pieces, and how to pace ourselves along the way.

Enjoying the Journey

It teaches us to enjoy the process of life, while we are waiting to get to our dream jobs or imagining what we want our lives to become. We learn to appreciate the beauty in the journey, not just the end destination.

Reflection

Getting to the peak of a mountain allows us to reflect and look back on what is behind us. It sounds corny, but I know that whenever I reach the top of a mountain, I enjoy sitting there for a second and just thinking about the hard work it took me to get to the top.

Challenging Ourselves

It’s exciting to have a challenge. Climbing a mountain is fun, and the reward of viewing nature and having a little peace and quiet is more than enough of a reason to find a trail.

Having a challenge like this helps us to see other challenges in the same way: as an opportunity to better ourselves and grow as people.

Perseverance

When we go through hard times in the process of climbing, such as sore legs, rain or lack of water, we are faced with the choice to continue or turn back. Making difficult decisions in those types of situations helps us to create the wisdom to know our limits, the character to make honest decisions and the determination to carry through unfortunate circumstances.

Summiting a mountain is a breathtaking experience that is hard to forget. Nothing feels better than finally reaching your car at the bottom, and feeling the relief rushing through your tired body, while you think about the last few hours and what you just accomplished.

When you summit the metaphorical mountains in your life, it’s just the same. You look back and realize that the struggles, stress and work paid off, and you’ve finally reached the peak of your own personal mountain.

And nothing in the world feels better than that.