This week I offer part two of a series of insights – the three P’s — I learned from climbing the world’s highest free-standing mountain so I can share more of the lessons and blessings with you.
Perseverance – Getting to the top of Kilimanjaro is not easy. In fact, less than half the people who attempt to climb it do not reach the top. There are ups and downs, literally. Like in any business, you have push through the tough times and keep your eye on what you want your story to be at the end of the journey. It is how you achieve your goals that matters and how you inspire others while doing it.
Possibility – Imagining what is possible is one of the most important skills a business owner can have. It’s also a necessity when climbing the world’s highest mountains. Possibility opens up that window to become creative with what you do to reach the top. It may not always be conventional, but you never know what you can do until you believe the goal you have is really possible first. Then you can figure out how to get to the top.
Persistence – In every moment, you have to choose whether to give up or whether to persist and continue forward. Dreams are made and shattered at this fork in the road every day. It’s easy to give up. It takes strength, commitment and spirit to persist. When I thought I might not make it to the top, I turned each additional step I took into a joyful celebration and blessing. With every one, I got closer to the top. When I summited, I not only marveled that I had actually made it; I ended up inspiring our entire team because I just refused to give up.
Summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro was a big accomplishment for me in so many ways. I hope these lessons will help you do business better, reach your goals, and live a happier, healthy life.
