How Setting Life Goals Is Like Picking Mountains To Climb

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© Gerdi Verwoert 2016

Mountain hiking is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. Just like life is not a sprint, but rather a marathon.

Setting yourself a particular life goal is very much like setting your sights on reaching a certain mountain top.

Step 1 – pick your summit

Dare Greatly Coaching | Set your goal Explore the different goals you want to set yourself.

 

Step 2 – do the research

Dare Greatly Coaching | Do the research

Find out what knowledge, skills and experiences you need to reach your chosen summit. You find out what you already know and are able to do, and what it is you may need to learn before you start out on the trek to your mountain.

Step 3 – pack your backpack (a.k.a. take action)

Dare Greatly Coaching | Pack your pack Now that you’re aware of all your knowledge, skills and experience as well as of those that you still need to acquire, you are ready to set out on the chosen trail to reach your summit.

You don’t necessarily need to have all the knowledge, skills and experiences before you set out. Some of them may be acquired along the way and others may turn out not to be as important after all. Without throwing all caution into the wind it is sometimes wise to take action first, without feelings of confidence and clarity. Take action and they will follow!

“Don’t wait for those feelings of excitement, confidence, and clarity, before you take action. Take action first, without them, and they will follow. Go!”

Step 4 – be flexible

Dare Greatly Coaching | Be flexible

As with mountain hiking, in life sometimes things don’t go as planned. You come to forks in the trail and may find that the one you planned on taking has been closed off. Or there appears to be a never considered alternative. Or the trail, you’ve chosen, turns out to exceed your capabilities. This is when you need to be flexible.

Will you go for the more difficult route or an alternative never before considered? Will you retrace some of your steps to see if there is another trail you might take or will you return to the very beginning never to start again? Are there other possibilities still worth exploring?

Step 5 – celebrate and enjoy the view

Dare Greatly Coaching | Celebrate reaching your goal

Whatever the eventual path leading to your goal looks like, once you have summited your mountain peak, it is time for a big celebration. Having worked hard to accomplish your goal, you get to enjoy your accomplishment fully and, of course, enjoy the view.

Summiting a hard fought mountain, reaching a challenging goal, is a major milestone. It can totally open up your horizon and can completely change your perspective.

After all, the view from the summit is decidedly different from that way down below in the valley. It is even completely different from the views seen while working towards the goal you have set yourself.

While standing on your summit and looking around you, you may come to realize many more summits have come into view. Those ‘summits’ can represent new goals. Goals that, with the experience and knowledge gathered on your journey to the summit you are standing on, have become a very real possibility.

Your turn! What goals have you set yourself? What is the summit you are heading for right now? Where are you in your mountain trek? Share your thoughts in the comments section below and please do share this post with your network

As always…

Go dare greatly!