The Man on Top of the Mountain
As a sat looking up at Mt. Princeton on Sunday night, I wondered what it was going to take tomorrow to get up that mountain. It was Colorado's 10th highest 14er and it sat at 14, 197 feet above sea level. I have done five 14ers over the last few years and I am usually in late season triathlon shape for these epic climbs. This season, I have taken a lot of time off and am not quite in the shape I have been in the past. I made sure to fuel up at dinner and more than anything I steeled myself mentally for the effort it was going to take. Yes, I have some experience with the outdoors, and I consider myself in better than average shape, but you need a lot more than experience and fitness to get to the top of a 14er. My thoughts wandered to not only getting up the mountain but the return trip as well. Getting to the top is only half the battle. If you don't make it down, well, I wouldn't consider that a successful trip. There have been lots of casualties over the years on Mt. Everest - people who took the chance to summit, but they never made it back down to share their success. Climbing a mountain isn't all fun and games. Its dangerous, and you have to be prepared. Even though our trip would only be around 6-7 hours, we were preparing for an overnight. That's the way I was taught to be prepared when going into the wilderness. Going on a 2 day overnight? Pack enough dry clothes for 4 days. Bring extra matches, batteries for flashlights and food to last in case you get lost. Preparation may take a little longer, but you'll be a lot safer and more comfortable should things go wrong.
This made my think a bit about what it takes to create a great company - not one that just pumps out training plans and gives people advice, but a company that creates jobs for people who are passionate about coaching, who work hard, and want to not just be good at what they do, but to BE great and to DO great things. I wonder why some coaches don't make it to the top of the mountain. Is it because they don't have the 'can-do' attitude or is it because they don't have the skills? Maybe they want to give 90% but not 100%. Maybe they don't know how to do the little things that it takes to be successful. In the past month, I've narrowed down my weekly objectives to three things and its been making a difference. I am 2 weeks closer to my BHAG then I was when September started and I am excited to see what the next few months bring. In my next post I'll share with you one of the objectives that I have been working on with my business. Its not by accident that people make it to the top of the mountain. Its by hard work and sometimes its by sheer determination.
After all is said and done, the man at the top of the mountain didn't just fall there.
