| Climb Your Mountains One Step at a Time
This is from Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Women, Barbara Carlson.
I recently had the wonderful experiece of spending some time with my dearest friend at her home in Italy. We looked forward to hiking up the mountain paths, whcih reveal spectacular vistas of lake, mountains, and old Italian villages.
When you look at a mountain, it's clear to see why they have long been a metaphor for life's challenges. As you stand at the bottom of the mountain, seeing it all at once, planning to climb it can seem like an overwhelming challenge. You immediately take it in, sizing it up, thinking self-doubting thoughts like: That is going to be a tough climb. Boy, am I going to be tired. I don't know if I can make it. But after the initial hesitation, you decide to go ahead, and once foot goes in front of the other while you pace yourself one step at a time.
As you bring your attention to your feet, you focus only on what's in front of you. You enjoy the climb and derive satisfaction from the experience by keeping your attention here, each step, each moment. If you focus on how far you have to go until the top, you become fatigued from the mere contemplation of it, thereby risking your ability to complete the climb. If you sneak a look donw, you may become frightened at how fare you have come, or you feel exhausted. So, walking becomes a sort of meditation. As long as your thoughts don't muddle you, before you know it, you're at the top -- and you did it on small step at a time.
We are all certain to experience challenges in our lifetimes. The mystery for each of us is which ones will be ours. Dealing with our challenges on a daily basis is no different from climbing a mountain one step at a time. You can handle any situation that appears to be an obstacle if you take it one step at a time, keeping your attention here, now. If you attempt to take in the whole problem at once, you risk not making it to the finish line. Don't contemplate the future; don't dwell on the past. During challenging times, we need all our resources available to us, and our thinking gets cloudy and unclear if we wander to our past or future concerns. Challenges are far less overwhelming if you solve them in the moment with baby steps.
Your personal mountain may come to you by choice in a specific goal you set for yourself, or it may be that you are overcoming an addiction or facing news of illness. Remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Whever the challenge, you will be able to face it, one step at a time.
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07-27-2002, 04:29 PM
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