Be a Climber
There is a difference between hikers and climbers.
Hikers go for a while.
They enjoy the trail, take in the view. They walk until they get tired, bored, uncomfortable, hungry, or until the weather starts to turn bad or the sun gets low in the sky.
Then they turn around.
Nothing wrong with hiking.
But don’t confuse it with climbing.
Climbing is different, and climbers are different.
Climbers leave the trailhead with a target. The summit.
They know the mountain will get steep. They know the air will get thin. They know their legs will burn, their lungs will scream, and they know that at some point, a little voice in their head is going to start making very reasonable suggestions about quitting.
Both hikers and climbers hear that voice. Climbers just don’t listen
A hiker measures the day by how far he feels like going.
A climber measures the day by how far he has to go. That’s the difference.
Most people treat their lives like a hike.
They start something. They go hard for a little while, then the trail gets steep. The novelty wears off, and it stops being fun.
Then they turn around and call it “listening to their body,” or “being realistic.”
Sometimes that’s true. But most of the time, it’s just a way of quitting and trying to save face.
The climber respects the mountain, the weather, and the risk, but he also respects the summit. Because the summit matters.
Not because there’s magic at the top, but because of who you have to become to get there.
You don’t become harder by wandering around until you get uncomfortable and then walking back to the truck.
You become harder by picking a hard thing, pointing yourself at it, and refusing to negotiate with the weak version of yourself.
That weak version is the version you will have to kill to give birth to the version of yourself who is capable of reaching the summit. The weak version doesn’t want to die, but he needs to, like shedding a skin that’s too small.
Be smart, but don’t forget why you started. You didn’t set out to go for a stroll.
You came here to climb, you came to summit.
So pick the mountain, put on your ruck, and start moving
And when the trail gets steep, remember:
That is not the sign to turn around.
That is where the climb actually begins.
RTFU!
John
Life is Hard. Be Harder.
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OK fine, now I can't use the word hike anymore.