But LIFE has taught me this … the hardest mountains we ever climb are the ones we can't see. Just when we have life all figured out.. a mountain appears: we lose a loved one or a job, we don't get the promotion we deserve, someone we love disappoints us. How do you climb those mountains and transform them into opportunities for adventure and positive change?
Think of your life's challenges as your personal climbs up mountains. How do your reach the peak?
SURVIVING THE LONLINESS
- Honor your feelings…. Give yourself permission to feel what you are feeling. The roller coaster ride of emotions is normal and will dissipate gradually as time passes
- Denial is OK… I consider denial to be God's Bubble … a protective place to be until you are ready to handle your challenges
- Anger is OK… and a normal reaction to change. Acting out on anger is destructive in every way, so talk it out, exercise it out, but try not to act on it.
- DETERMINE YOUR VISION… What do you love doing, who do you love being with, what did you enjoy doing as a child? What makes your heart beat a little faster? What makes you jump out of your seat with enthusiasm? Look towards these feelings to find your passion. Envision it and go for it.
- PREPARE TO CLIMB.. proper preparation increases self esteem and confidence.
Finding yourself starts with preparing physical: eating right, exercising, taking vitamins, stretching.
Finding yourself includes preparing intellectually: learning all you can learn about your vision, finding out what it takes to succeed, analyze potential obstacles, learning about the competition, learning who can help you
Preparing emotionally is all about having a positive support group: Surrounding yourself with YES people, practicing positive self-talk.
- LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD .. You will travel easier, faster and safer up your mountain if you carry a light load. Get rid of all the extra baggage you carry around: issues from the past that you can't change, extra obligations that you said ‘yes' to that are just too much to handle, ‘stuff' that is in the way, and relationships that sap you and drain your energy.
- TAKE SOME RISKS… Little by little, try things you have never tried before. Painful stretching always leads to new ways to view the world. Make sure you think ahead to ‘look before you leap' so you don't get hurt, but have a back up plan so you have support if you don't succeed. There is no such thing as failure! Instead you are eliminating what doesn't work and learning lessons along the way.
- TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME … Take life moment by moment, step by step. In our impatient world we expect instant results. You will succeed to find your way, if you concentrate on the moments instead of looking too far ahead or too far behind. Pace and persistence will win out and like the tortoise and the hare, you will get there eventually. Traveling slowly and deliberately, you will see and learn and develop confidence as you go.
- WHEN OBSTACLES APPEAR stand back and assess them and then deal with them with a clear head. Get through them, go around them and find another route, or go back and start again. Those unexpected obstacles along the path make us stronger, and teach us many lessons.
- THROW THE ROPE. In climbing the rope is the single thread that holds the climbers together. In the same way, our climb through life is made so much easier when we ask for help. People feel needed and valued when you call on them. Be a compassionate listener and communicator and it will come back to you. Make the ‘heart connection'.
- REACHING THE PEAK. The final push to the top is the most enlightening part of any climb. The lessons learned along the path become clear. You have found your path and your self. The pain of the journey is forgotten as you stand on the peak
- SOARING! With new found confidence, self awareness, and humility, we are compelled to share our journey with others in a life of service
