Mastering the Mountain: Discover How High You Can Go

We celebrated with family recently up in the mountains of Western North Carolina. We watched football games, played cornhole, took naps, and enjoyed delicious food.

Some like to ride through the mountains, while others love the test of climbing them. Some aim for mountain top experiences, while others struggle in the valleys.

Mastering the mountain is crucial for each of us to overcome the fears and to discover just how high we can truly go. Are you ready?

 

Everyone wants to live on top of
the mountain, but all the happiness and
growth occurs while you’re climbing it.
— Andy Rooney

For the mountaineers, the thrill of the summit is worth the trade-off of the pain and risks that come with the trek. Those who succeed are intentionally physically fit, well prepared, and have calculated the risks vs. rewards.

As illustrated in this TED Talk story from Alex Honnold, it's one thing to wish to climb to the top and quite another to master the mountain.

He had to overcome his justifiable fears to get comfortable with the risks. He also had to cultivate a mindset of mastery
through practice and visualization in order to remove all doubt. Why? Because doubt is the precursor to fear.

There is no way he could have experienced his perfect moment if he was afraid. That's also true for each of us.
 

Everyone has mountains to conquer: relationships, career, skills, healing, and so on. We're usually not facing death-defying conditions, but it sure feels like it sometimes.

Mastering the mountain takes practice and self-discipline because real consequences await if we slip or make a mistake. Rehearsing with precision is the most reliable way to ensure success in the moment.

Mastering the mountain requires visualization, seeing each step, and learning to expect the unexpected. We are prone to act based on what our minds imagine to be true about ourselves and the environment around us. 

Mastering the mountain is a test of courage, moving beyond massive fear and doubt to reach the peak. It takes bravery to step into the challenge and become who you were created to be.

The mountains in life are inevitable, and our approach to the climb is predictive of our fate.

It's a lot more than mind over matter.
It takes relentless self discipline to schedule
suffering into your day, every day.
— David Goggins

The most amazing things we can achieve start with exceptional belief and willpower. Mastery doesn't happen spontaneously—it results from unrelenting discipline.

• For the joys of friendship to be fulfilled, we must master trust, listening, and loyalty.
• For the bonds of family to be realized, we must master priority, presence, and grace.
• For the promises of faith to be claimed, we must master obedience, prayer, and joy.

Love is both relentless and resilient, leading us to help others even when we're barely holding on ourselves. 

Master the mountain ahead, because only those who risk reaching the peak can possibly discover how high they can really go.

Love'em and Lead'em!

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