Climb Every Mountain
As i was walking my adorable little puppy this morning I got to watch the sun rising over the mountains in the distance and i had to stop to take a picture because, well, it was just so stinking beautiful!
and it got me to thinking about climbing mountains- my favorite thing to do in san diego. i mean… it’s just hiking up well paved trails but it’s still so much fun and beautiful and jeez… we’re so lucky to have them all over the place here! and then of course my mind wandered, as it does, to metaphorical mountains. the ones we all climb all the time. and i started reflecting back on some of my past climbs and how at first they seem impossible, just like when you’re looking at the switchbacks at Cowles Mountain. You don’t think you’ll ever make it to the top… it seems overwhelming and you don’t know where to even begin. but then you do. and you get to the first turn, and the next, and eventually you’re at the top and you don’t even know how you did it but you’re there! the biggest mountains I’ve climbed in my life have been going vegan, running a marathon, and getting my MBA while working full time. they were seemingly insurmountable. But i done did it and here’s how.
- Break Big Goals Down
When i first started my MBA program it felt like it would take forever. i felt like i’d never have a life again. but i went to my first class… and then my next class… and week after week i knocked out more classes until all of a sudden i had my degree! just one class at a time. Running my first marathon was also seemingly impossible. I hadn’t been running super consistently leading up to marathon training and I had no idea where to even begin. My longest run at that point was a half marathon and the thought of doing two of those in a row? insanity! but i did it. one week at a time. one long run at a time. i just kept adding in mileage and before i knew it (well… lots of injuries later) i ran a marathon! and going vegan? people seem surprised when i tell them how hard it was for me to go vegan because now it seems so easy for me! but back when i was first getting started it was definitely overwhelming. NO DEEP DISH AGAIN EVER?! you must be crazy. but as i continued to educate myself about the dairy and egg industries i became more and more motivated to make a change. i did it one meal at a time… one pizza at a time, really, and eventually i went fully vegan. - Get Lots of Support
All of these things seemed completely crazy at one point… like completely insurmountable challenges. but when you break them down into one class… one run… one meal… it makes it much more manageable! i will add that i couldn’t have done any of these things alone! for school it was the support of classmates, teachers, and a good friend that was going through it with me. for running i needed the support of my running group. and going vegan i had my sister as my guide to help give me tips and moral support and keep encouraging me (aka every time i ate pizza she’d say “enjoy your pus and blood!”). - Get Accountable
There were times i wanted to quit all of these things. but i put myself out there to my friends, family, even strangers on social media. I committed to these goals and the people in my life helped to hold me accountable. It was so huge in setting me up for success! Of course there were friends that would try to encourage me to go out drinking instead of going to bed early on friday nights before my long runs on saturdays and there were certainly times i wanted to do that. but i didn’t… most of the time. and most of them time they knew what i was working towards so they would simply say goodnight. and they donated SO much money to help support HEART– a humane education program that kicks ass!
so the moral of the story is even though mountains may seem big and scary at the time, they are totally climb-able! you just have to do it one step at a time, ideally not alone, and really make sure you’re committed to climbing that mountain! I’d LOVE to hear about some of your mountains and what you’ve done to climb them- comment below and let me know!
and on that note i’ll leave you with some sound of music…