LIFE LESSONS
Into the Heart of the Mountain
A journey of self-exploration, perseverance, and growth
Looking up at the huge mountain looming above you, you once again wonder what you are doing here. Are you truly strong enough to embark on a journey that leads you into the vast unknown? There is only one way to find out.
Leaving the Valley of Familiarity
You have been hiding out in the valley before the mountain for a long while. Licking the wounds of the losses you suffered. The valley started out as a comforting refuge. Now it is the safety blanket you cling to.
Part of you whispers, “You could be so much more. This was supposed to be a temporary retreat. A place to catch your breath. Not the rest of your life.” But on the days when the wounds of loss bleed and ache, this voice is very soft.
On other days the voice speaks boldly, “Staying in this valley means staying trapped between who you were and who you could be. When will you answer the call and start on your journey towards a better life?”
You at last heed the voice. You begin the journey to find your purpose and yourself.
All you can see is the very start of the path, as it winds out of the valley and into the mountains. You do not know where it leads. You do not know how long the journey will be.
It feels terribly daunting and strangely exciting.
You take your first step.
Following the Beaten Path
As you embark on your journey, the path gets steeper and it starts leading you up the mountain. Pride swells in your chest. You started! You’re climbing! You will soon find that new purpose. You will soon reach your next destination.
You get to a fork in the road. Looking at the diverging paths, one clearly looks easier and more well-traveled. And if so many others chose that path, then it must be the right one. This path will surely accelerate your journey up the mountain. You choose the beaten path.
But when you round a corner, you stop short at the huge pile of rocks in front of you. It is a dead-end. You shake your head in disbelief, it can’t be! This is the beaten path! How can it be blocked for you? You are left with no choice but to backtrack.
Failure weighs heavily on you. You’ve only just begun on your journey and you’ve already made the wrong choice. Maybe you should just head back to the valley. And hide out there forever.
But then you reconsider. You’re no quitter. You will conquer this mountain. You will triumph and get to the summit.
Conquering The Mountain
You return to the fork in the road and start down the second path. You come to the next crossroads. This time you approach it more cautiously. The mountain tried to trick you at the last intersection, by tempting you with the easier path. This time you will outsmart the mountain.
The first path is steep. It looks hard and treacherous. The second path winds gently into the heart of the mountain. Clearly, the steep path will get you to the summit the fastest, getting you to that new life you so desire.
So you start the steep climb. You push forward. You need to make up for the time lost when you went down the wrong path. Even when your body gets tired, you do not relent in your climbing. You push yourself far beyond your limits. Because you need to find your purpose. Without it you are nothing.
You tell yourself it will all be worth it once you get to the top. That you can rest once you’ve made it. And so you go on, in pain, seeing nothing of the mountain as it passes you by.
And then, after what feels like a painful eternity, you crest the summit. You made it to the top of the mountain! But as you take in your surroundings, your heart sinks. It is empty. There is nothing here for you. No newly illuminated purpose. No clear sense of self. You feel just as empty and lost here as you did in the valley.
Your legs give out with exhaustion and defeat. You sink to the ground. You pushed so hard, and still you haven’t found your purpose. Still you haven’t conquered this mountain. Even worse, in this clash of wills between you and the mountain, the mountain is clearly winning. And you don’t have the energy to fight anymore.
As you kneel on the ground, you let go of all your efforts. You finally surrender. And in this process of surrendering, you at last open yourself up to the journey.
You even open yourself up to your alleged adversary, the mountain itself. You were so preoccupied with reaching your destination that you never noticed how stunning the mountain actually is.
Perhaps you could allow yourself to see what beauty this mountain has to offer you, even before you find your purpose. Perhaps it is time to witness it all. Perhaps it is time to take the gentle path into the heart of the mountain.
Listening to the Heart of The Mountain
And what wonder you find! How much beauty you raced by on your quest to the top. This time, you stop to look. To listen. It is wonderful.
Then you come to the next crossroads. You tense. So far these crossroads have marked your failures. So far each of your choices sent you in the wrong direction.
Or did they?
As you pause to consider both this crossroads and the previous ones, you realize that your previous choices might not actually have been failures. Perhaps they were lessons that you had to learn.
The first choice taught you that your journey would need to be uniquely your own. That you could not just simply follow the path that others had taken on their journeys.
The second choice taught you that digging deep and pushing through would not give you what you need. That racing ahead without looking around would not give you the clarity you so desire.
You come to the powerful realization that if you had to go back, you would make the same choices. Because each detour taught you a valuable lesson. And thus they were not a waste of time. Instead, these detours were a critical part of your journey.
They also taught you perseverance and showed you how resilient you are. You gained trust in your ability to handle roadblocks, detours, or dead-ends. To handle anything that comes your way.
And this latest crossroads? It teaches you that no matter which path you choose, it will be the right choice. Because it will allow you to explore more of yourself and the mountain.
So for now you will keep going into the heart of the mountain. You will keep learning valuable lessons at every crossroads, at every detour, at every dead-end. You will keep putting one foot in front of the other.
You know your way to the top of the mountain, and in time you might return there. But you now know that it is not about racing to the top. It is not about getting to that destination.
It is about the journey.
Thank you for reading! And for those of you setting off your own journeys into the heart of the mountain, I wish you strength.
Remember that you will need to walk a unique path. There are no shortcuts and there is no way to push and get there faster. Your explorations will be filled with detours and dead-ends and beauty and pain. But you will come out of it stronger. Confident in your inner strength. With the resilience and perseverance to handle anything that comes your way. And that is its own kind of magic. ✨
Perhaps you are still at the very start of your journey, clinging to your old life. Not quite ready to let go. Still grieving the losses you have suffered. In that case, I’d recommend checking out The Loss of Your Story, the prequel to this tale.
With love, Sarah
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