In this age of innovation and achievement, there is a trend towards constantly pushing onward and upward. While there is nothing wrong with ambition and innovation, there is a side to it that sometimes gets overlooked: it requires a purpose.
Why do we scale a mountain?
Some will say it is for the exercise – but you can exercise at the bottom of a mountain.
Some will say it is for the challenge – but mountains are not the only challenges that exist.
Some would say for the fun of it, but once again, fun exists elsewhere.
So why scale a mountain? Why choose that as your exercise, that as your challenge, that as your source of fun? The mountain is set apart from other challenges by its view. We climb a mountain in order to enjoy the view from the top.
In today’s world of constant change, it worries me that I see too many business owners desperately scaling mountains without any awareness of why they are doing so. There is nothing wrong with taking on a challenge for the sake of the conquest, and there is definitely nothing wrong with having an outlook that constantly seeks to innovate – but there is also nothing wrong with stopping at the top of each mountain and making the time to enjoy the view.
Not only is there nothing wrong with it, but it is an absolute necessity.
Even the fittest sportsman in the world has to stop to rest from time to time. A business owner who is constantly trying to scale the next mountain will end up losing their grip and crashing to the ground.
Achieved a challenge?
Stop. Relax. Look. Breathe.
Soak in the view, enjoy the moment. You scaled that particular mountain for a reason – enjoy the achievement, don’t throw yourself into climbing the next mountain until you actually need to.
You might not be able to stay on top of one mountain for long – the conditions will change, the view could disappear or become old – but you should make a point of staying on that mountain top long enough to enjoy being there.
Otherwise, why on earth did you bother to climb it in the first place?
Original published on LinkedIn, here.
