Nothing in life is free. Everything in life has a price. I’m not talking about money; I’m talking about the sacrifice, the discipline, and the dues to be paid day after day.
Motivational speakers will tell you to dream big. First, you must see it in your mind, actually believe that it is possible for you to achieve.
Not a bad first step; I’m on board with that. After all, there is no glory in playing small. Nobody writes about people who threw in the towel and gave up.
However, I think many truly underestimate the hard work, due-diligence, and sacrifices those dreams require. In their defense, it is impossible to know what all the task will ask of you.
Even if you find yourself on a similar route to one who has gone before you, there will still be many variables that pop up and catch you off guard.
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During your pursuit, you will learn a lot about yourself. I know I have. And, in that pursuit, you’ll discover what you truly want. And I think that’s a very overlooked and undiscussed topic.
Pivoting from something that you spent so much time on to something completely different isn’t exactly easy, physically or mentally. You might even get shunned for it. The mental game is exceptionally nuanced and extremely difficult to get a true grasp of.
Sometimes, I think we were destined to start something so that we could learn what we needed to do before moving on to something else. We could potentially do this a few different times before we come to realize our true task.
None of the previous journeys should be considered failures but stepping stones. The failure would be not pivoting when you’re clearly being directed to do so.
I think everything happens for a reason and all of our experiences have put us in the place we are right now. Even the most obvious mistakes we’ve made have put us exactly where we are but we should’ve been taught something by them.
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Currently, I am in a dues paying part of life. Most of what I want to accomplish is years ahead of me both in education, skill, and experience. The goal is certainly high and quite dangerous; I need to be as prepared as possible.
The dues to be paid, in my case, are necessary for survival. I cannot be tempted with any shortcuts or false promises of early glory.
I’ve always been fascinated with quotes and motivation. I’ve always been able to gain strength and courage from them, more than most I’d say. And I believe that’s were my love of mountains originated, before I had even seen one.
Fate would bring me to the mountains before my 26th birthday. Knowing what I know now, I wish it would’ve been sooner. But, like I said previously, the paths taken before are necessary for many reasons.
The mountains serve as great metaphors to life, success, and attempting anything worthwhile. You see, people climbed mountains originally to gain knowledge from their high vantage point. From the peaks, they were able to see bodies of water, other peaks, and decide on the best route to continue their trek.
Before actually setting foot into the mountains, they served as a motivator. The quotes and their overall prestige I felt down deep. It has taken me over 27 years to find a true purpose, a true passion to pursue, a true journey to dedicate my life to.
“It is not the mountains we conquer but ourselves.”
– Edmund Hillary
Other Goodies to Check Out!
“The Metaphor of the Mountains” – Podcast
“Testing My Fearless-ness” – Blog
