“We are not at our best perched at the summit; we are climbers, at our best when the way is steep.” —John W. Gardner
When my Dad was alive we used to talk on the phone a lot, several times a week. One thing I remember about those calls after asking him how he was doing. He would often say, “Well, I’m pushing the rock up the hill, and the rock is getting bigger.” I knew exactly what he was saying. Sometimes work or just life in general would get hard as if that rock was a boulder about to roll back down on top of you and sometimes it would, and you’d have to start all over again.
But looking back at those times I have come to realize that when I faced challenging times, I felt ALIVE, I had goals I was aiming to achieve and when I would meet a goal, I felt excited and ready for the next challenge on my list.
Fast forward a few decades to when I retired after a long 3-year struggle to transition a company built into a new owner’s hands and I was exhausted, spent, and a bit depressed. The last 3 years didn’t go the way I had planned and hoped it would go. I had finally reached the summit, but I felt a bit empty. It took me a year to decompress and during that time I was not at my best, my challenge was…what the heck am I going to do next?
If you find yourself perched or close to the summit, it’s a good idea to think and pray about what’s next before you reach it. I was so busy trying to reach the summit, I hadn’t thought ahead or prayed about what I would do once I got there. Like the dog that caught the car he was chasing, now what?
What is your ultimate goal once you reach the summit?
Proverbs 16:3, Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 6:33
TSK
When my Dad was alive we used to talk on the phone a lot, several times a week. One thing I remember about those calls after asking him how he was doing. He would often say, “Well, I’m pushing the rock up the hill, and the rock is getting bigger.” I knew exactly what he was saying. Sometimes work or just life in general would get hard as if that rock was a boulder about to roll back down on top of you and sometimes it would, and you’d have to start all over again.
But looking back at those times I have come to realize that when I faced challenging times, I felt ALIVE, I had goals I was aiming to achieve and when I would meet a goal, I felt excited and ready for the next challenge on my list.
Fast forward a few decades to when I retired after a long 3-year struggle to transition a company built into a new owner’s hands and I was exhausted, spent, and a bit depressed. The last 3 years didn’t go the way I had planned and hoped it would go. I had finally reached the summit, but I felt a bit empty. It took me a year to decompress and during that time I was not at my best, my challenge was…what the heck am I going to do next?
If you find yourself perched or close to the summit, it’s a good idea to think and pray about what’s next before you reach it. I was so busy trying to reach the summit, I hadn’t thought ahead or prayed about what I would do once I got there. Like the dog that caught the car he was chasing, now what?
What is your ultimate goal once you reach the summit?
Proverbs 16:3, Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 6:33
TSK
