May 11, 2020 by John Cunningham
Everyone wants success, but few are willing to scale the mountain for it. Victory requires thousands of hours invested in sweat equity, countless hundreds of times spent on difficult or repetitive tasks when you would rather be doing something else, and the ability to fail over and over again then get up to try again. To achieve, you’ll need to stretch beyond your limits. Face situations that will seem insurmountable, but never be impossible. Don’t give up. Many failures line the incline to triumph. Make sure you are not one of them.
You will face many obstacles as you navigate your learning curve. There will be trials and doubts, but also serendipitous moments of joy when you attain more than you thought you could. Take a moment to savor those, then get back to climbing. Never get too high or too low, just keep that energy moving forward.
On your road, you will meet folks with similar ambitions. Some will attempt to raise themselves by pulling you down. Others will walk beside you, sharing the journey for a while. You will also meet some beacons, who will launch you forward, faster and farther than you would have gotten on your own. It is all part of the journey.
When you have doubts, keep going. You have reasons for achieving your goals. When you fall, remind yourself of those reasons. Then get up, dust yourself off and keep going. There will be times that you don’t know what to do next, take a break, regroup and refocus. You will get there if you are persistent.
Great achievement requires more than just effort. You’ll also need systems and feedback. So you can repeat what you are doing right and avoid those actions that are not getting results. From time to time it will be helpful to get the bird’s eye view too. Ask those you trust to truthfully give you their perspective, no sugar-coating please.
To reach the mountain top sometimes you need to surrender. Give up those bad habits and unsupportive people. Let go of distractions, they won’t help you in your hour of need. Surrender self-doubt too. Instead, be laser-focused. Don’t forget that you also need to take breaks along the way. Relax, retool, and recharge then resume your journey.
You will find the road most difficult as you get near the peak. You will have to utilize all your skills and experiences as you steer through these final twists and turns. Stay sharp and fixed on achievement. Your bounty is waiting at the summit.
And when you finally get to the top of that mountain, savor your success, relive the challenges and remember the process. Be joyful for both the wins and losses you experienced along the way. Those are all part of what led to your triumph. Then look forward. In the distance is the next challenge, waiting for you to scale it. Climb down and start the journey anew.
