Beautiful Summer Morning

George Mallory coined that famous line, “Because it’s there,” in response to a question about his desire to climb Mount Everest. The words seem almost flippant when you consider the deep commitment Mallory exhibited toward the attainment of his dreams.

Sir Edmund Hillary, when asked about the most difficult part of his adventure, after he succeeded in reaching the Everest Summit said: “Strong motivation is the most important factor in getting you to the top.”

To climb your own private Everest requires no less than a deep and abiding commitment.

How do you find that inner resolve to focus on your Everest, especially in view of the naysayers and dream snatchers, many of them your own family members?

The first and most important step is to find your purpose, or your reason for, your why.

What will drive you through the long, dark nights of your struggle?

You may have a goal of financial independence within five years. That’s good, but why?

Maybe your answer is to spend more time with your family. All right? Why? You want to share in the precious moments of the lives of those that matter most to you. Good? Why? Because when you were growing up your parents where too busy to spend any time with you and you felt lonely and cheated of their company and wisdom. Great. Will that keep the fire stoked inside of you?

If the answer is yes, what step do you take next? If the answer is no, then you need to keep seeking and questioning until the fire is burning in your belly. (For more on finding your purpose, see my article “5 Steps to Discovering Your Purpose in Life.)

Now that you have your why, your reason, you will want to deepen that commitment.

A successful businessman once said in exasperation with me, ” To gain something you want you have to give up something.” As a habitual dabbler, I wanted everything without giving up my comforts, my hobbies, or my slight but comfortable bank balance. I dismissed his words then, only to have them echo around in my head until they finally sunk in.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to a deep commitment is an unwillingness to sacrifice something now, for later gain.

Take stock of your situation and decide what things you need to give up in order to drive your commitment to your goal.

I gave up or reduced the amount of time I spent on many enjoyable occupations. I committed to reading less fiction and reading more self-development books. I realized I couldn’t keep a garden and stay committed to my goal. I gave up T.V. altogether. What I saved in time and energy I redirected to achieving my goal. I expected to suffer from the lost of these things. Instead, I discovered joy and excitement in new activities that furthered my goal.

To further your commitment to your own private Everest, you need to exhibit a willingness to learn. Passion comes from knowledge. Stoke the fires of your passion by studying all aspects of your chosen goal. This opens you to possibilities invisible to you before. Remember Edmund Hillary did not start his climb of Everest on Mount Everest. Rather he started by learning his craft, by climbing many smaller mountains first.

Create a dream board, with your goal clearly defined at the summit. Then post everything to do with that dream on the board: steps you need to take, pictures, articles, newspaper clippings, and quotes. Post anything that heightens your commitment to your goal.

Edmund Hillary did not succeed alone. Many people helped along the way especially his Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay who stood beside him on the summit. Seek out others who share your commitment or your dream. Surround yourself with committed people, and you will take inspiration from their struggle, courage from their example and belief from their success.

Like Hillary, stay focused on the summit and the valleys will take care of themselves.

Nick Grimshawe
PS I created this article to participate in Courtney Tuttle’s Writer’s Project. The link to that site is: http://www.courtneytuttle.com

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 9:55 pm and is filed under Inspirational Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.