Reaching Your Summit
For whatever reason, I am fascinated by Mount Everest. Maybe it's the shear immensity or maybe it's because I like to hear stories about people tackling the beast. The tallest point on earth looms at 29,029 feet or 5 1/2 miles above sea level . Put into more perspective, you would have to stack about 20 empire state buildings on top of each other to reach that height. No problem right?
Lately I've been digging into some pretty fascinating books and documentaries about Everest, which interview several people on their journey. As each person was being interviewed at each stage in the process, one theme became evident - each person knew the dangers but they did it anyway. They each had a reason to be there, even if it were just to say "I got to stand higher than any person on earth in that moment in time." Pretty cool stuff.
Side note: if a person happens to make it to the top of Everest, they are only able to stay up for 2-5 minutes typically. The reason? If you stay above a certain elevation for too long, your body will literally start dying.
To ascend Mt. Everest, you need to have amazing physical fitness, mental fortitude and some deep pockets (or sponsors). People tackling the adventure can shell out as much as $65,000 for their coach/guide - and it's never a guarantee that you'll make it to the Summit. Once you tap out, or the weather takes a turn for the worse, you're done - game over.
What does climbing Mount Everest have to do with food or fitness? Climbing a mountain, graduating college, buying that first house, or swimming 1 mile while towing 70 boats with 70 people on your 70th birthday are great metaphors for what we must take on if we want to achieve anything in life.
Too often we get bogged down by the summit (the things we really want AKA a goal) and never do anything about it. We say, "oh you just wait, when I have that bikini body I will be confident." Or, "I'll be a better parent when my kids start listening."
What if we switched our tune and actually acted on what we wanted? What if instead of wishing for the summit, taking pictures of the summit, or ignoring the summit, we just started climbing? Start eating better TODAY. Start moving more at work TODAY. Start paying attention to your kids TODAY. STOP doing all of the things that keep you from moving and just start TODAY. It doesn't require perfection, it commitment & consistency.
People that sign up to climb Mt. Everest are not special. They are not born with $15,000 in backpack gear and a $65,000 coach - they committed to a mission and found a way to make it happen. One woman had trained for 7 years before embarking on the summit, because she knew that there would be plenty of blood, sweat, and FROZEN tears. She recalled the moment she committed to the summit, "nothing else mattered to me. I knew this was something that I wanted so I had to figure it out." Read that again:
"Nothing else mattered to me. I knew this was something that I wanted so I had to figure it out."
A climber seen using supplemental oxygen
Guess what - everything in life is the exact same way. Whether you want to lose 100 pounds, get your 1st pull-up, trek across the desert, climb Mt. Everest, or just be able run with your kids without flat lining - each journey will require you to figure it out. Each journey will have it's own set of obstacles that will test your commitment to the Summit. Each obstacle is a learning opportunity to grow stronger or retreat back to base camp (your comfort zone).
On Mount Everest, anything above 26,000 feet is considered the "Death Zone." At this altitude, lack of oxygen, exhaustion, extreme cold, climbing hazards, and 100+ mph wind gusts are all very real. People will either get to the Summit or die trying. According to one person on their Summit attempt, "I could literally feel my body dying from the inside out." This is when most people stop.
In a very fitting conclusion, when there is something that you want, you have to commit to it with relentless ACTION. You have to be so sure of your desires and reasons behind it that you will stop it nothing to get there - no matter the trade-offs. You need to realize that when you get to the "Death Zone" in your transformation (the hardest part), your Summit (the ultimate prize) is staring right at you, begging for you to grow as a person and push further. The journey to the summit can truly be life changing.
At TFW-South Metro, we are committed to helping you achieve your ultimate prize, your Summit. We realize that it can be a daunting thought just getting started on your journey. But you are not alone.
If you are ready, if you are COMMITTED to starting your journey - we want to talk with you.
A stronger body awaits you if you commit. Better health awaits you if you commit. A better life awaits you if you commit to the actions necessary to make it happen. Want to give Training For Warriors a try for 2 weeks and see why it's one of the best, and fastest growing, programs in the world? Send us a message HERE and a coach will contact you!