Challenging myself to hike the chief every weekday in February was in part a way to get me focussing on my cardio fitness. In part, I had been looking for a big challenge after last January’s ocean dips. And in part, I was curious to see if I could do it.
Hiking the chief once isn’t really a big deal. If you’re remotely fit it’s an hour up and half an hour down.
But doing it every day IS a big deal, and it’s something I probably rushed into with lots of enthusiasm and perhaps not enough critical thinking.
In the first week, I did the hike 5 times, and then on the 6th day, I went for a decent ski tour up to a mountain lake. It was on the hike up to the lake that I realized how completely exhausted I was.
I realized the importance of rest, again. But as I gasped my way up the mountainside I reflected on the impact that the challenge had already created.
Focus
Clarity
Motivation
Inspiration
Drive
My body was physically exhausted, but my soul was on fire. My mind was cranking through the gears. I felt connected to my life, my business, and my relationships in a way that I hadn’t for months.
And THAT is the real reason I took on this challenge.
For the unknown benefits in all the other areas of life outside of the obvious physical fitness.
And it was less than a week into the challenge I started seeing those benefits.
Now, I had to revise the plan. I had to be humble and admit that not factoring rest days into the schedule was a recipe for burnout and injury.
And it would have been easy to view that as a failure, or an abdication of my commitment.
However adapting to the circumstances on the ground, dancing in the moment, and making decisions that serve the commitments you have made is a crucial part of leadership.
Because the truth is my higher commitment is NOT to hike the chief every day or to do it in 20 minutes.
The higher commitment is to my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing, and taking a couple of days a week for the physical body to rest and repair is in service of that higher commitment.
So I revised the plan. I factored in rest days. I committed to going as slowly as I could on most of the hikes.
And what happened?
Even MORE focus. MORE clarity. MORE drive, creativity, and inspiration.
Because the system works as a whole and paying attention to mind, body, emotion, and spirit TOGETHER is the way to lasting, sustainable fulfillment.
Focussing on just one or two and neglecting the others is a path to suffering.
Let me know what you get for you from this.