Mountain Climbing

  If you're anything like me, you might have a tendency to imagine life as a series of peaks and valleys.  It seems like things are either good or bad.  And they go in cycles.  But what we often forget is that life is more like a steady uphill climb with plateaus now and then.  For the most part we spend our adult life alternating between climbing, sliding, or resting.  Here's what I mean by the three phases.

Climbing:  This one is pretty straight forward.  Most of us have dreams and goals in different areas of our lives which we are in essence "climbing" towards.  It might be a promotion at our job, a certain level of fitness, or a new degree.  When we are actively working towards those things, we are climbing.  It might be difficult and tiring, but it's worth the climb, because we know our results lie at the top.

Plateau:  Then we come to the plateau.  These are times when we have reached one of our goals, and we are able to stop pushing so hard, sit back, relax and enjoy the view from where we are.  Some would call this a peak, but I have to point out, that eventually, we begin to become discontented with just sitting, and we realize there is more climbing to be done.  I would argue that we never quite reach the peak in life, because there is always another level we can go to.  A plateau can be such a nice place, for a period of time, but eventually what happens is, we feel the call to begin climbing towards a new goal.  This can be hard to do when we are at a place of contentment just sitting.  Getting back into gear and beginning the work again can be a tough thing to do, and sometimes what we choose to do instead is to slide.

Sliding:  Sliding is anytime we should be moving forward, but we don't make the effort.  If you follow the logic that we are always on an upward facing slope, then it would make sense that if you are not on a plateau, and if you are not climbing, then you will begin sliding back down.  Sliding is one of the most dangerous places to be, because not only are you not moving forward, you are losing progress, and you are gaining momentum in the wrong direction.  Reversing a slide requires serious commitment, dedication, and effort, but it can be done.

  I hope that no matter what place you find yourself in today, you know you can begin to move forward whenever you choose.  If you have been sliding for some time, now is the moment to dig in your heels and start to the task of moving forward and upward again.  If you have been resting on a plateau for some time, and you are starting to feel the call to move on, do not ignore it.  Pick up your gear and start climbing to the next level.  And if you find yourself currently in the climb, don't give up.  Keep pressing on, because the next plateau is up there, and the views from that height are even more spectacular than the last.  I'm out here on this mountain with you, and I can't wait to see you reach the next level!

~K.W.