False Summits

by Aubrey Patterson

Some of our biggest successes can be pretty messy, right?

Be sure that as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building. (Stephen R. Covey)

False Summits 

When hiking in the mountains, we're likely to encounter a false summit - a hill that looks like the summit from our current position. Then, as we get closer we get to this false summit, we realize that the hill we're currently trekking is hiding another hill we'll need to climb.

We’ve all had our hearts sink a little facing false summits.

We build a vision, work hard to actualize it, and, just when we think we're almost there, the view changes. 

We need to be comfortable with adapting to a new perspective and abandoning our perfect plans.

Of course, we want everything to run smoothly and be in the right place. However, success is typically replete with exposing and creatively solving unanticipated problems.

When life gives us false summits, we might need to re-evaluate or even walk back a little. We certainly shouldn't keep climbing without considering both the risks of our current path and the opportunities the new reality might offer.

Each path offers unique rewards.

Sometimes when we get to where we think we're headed, the view is a lot different than we envisioned.

With the proper lens, what we thought was an end-game very well could be a new beginning.