Because I KNOW I never could...

I’ve been challenging myself to do uncomfortable things most of my life. Making the choice to go out on a limb has rarely been easy and has always been worth it. I guess that is why I keep choosing courage over comfort and trying to encourage others to join me! But recently I discovered that, even I have been holding myself back out of fear of failure, perceived ability and public opinion.

For most of my life I’ve been captivated by the way that I feel when I am in, on or around mountains. I have hiked, biked, snowboarded, camped and lived in the mountains. In all seasons the mountains are absolutely my happy place AND I have known I could never climb one of the seven summits (the highest mountains of each of the seven continents). I have never believed I was strong enough, fit enough, or brave enough to be one of THOSE adventurous athletes. Then, on December 11, 2019 I was scrolling instagram and this quote stopped me in my tracks,

“Challenge yourself with something you know you could never do, and what you’ll find is that you can overcome anything.”

For many years I have been quietly curious about climbing an iconic mountain. I have kept this desire mostly to myself because I didn’t believe I had what it would take to summit anything above 14,000’. If I kept this curiosity to myself then nobody could hold me accountable for achieving what seemed impossible to me. Have you had an experience where many people around you believed in your ability far beyond what you considered possible for yourself? I could pretend that it was not one of my lifelong dreams and convince myself that I didn’t really care one way or the other if I kept my summit aspirations to myself.

Now, remember that quote that stopped me in my tracks?

Because I “know” I never could, with fear and excitement sharing the driver seat, I am going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa for my 45th birthday! Just making that proclamation brings tears to my eyes. This October I am going to prove to myself that I can do hard things that I was certain I could never do! I am going to satisfy my curiosity, actualize a dream and hopefully inspire others to go for their impossibilities. I am going to summit the highest single freestanding mountain in the world and the fourth most prominent peak on earth! Standing at 19,341’ above sea level I will be proof that you can do things that you sure aren’t possible. So what do you “know” for sure you could never do?

Through this Kilimanjaro decision making process I have realized that frequently throughout my life I have waited for someone else to invite me or present the opportunity to me versus inventing the possibility for myself. Sound familiar? While this approach works well some of the time, and is possibly a bit safer from the pit fall of public opinion, it also leaves risk for many dreams to stay dormant and unrealized.

Someday is today! I want everyone to start dreamin if you aren’t already in the habit! There is 100% no way for a dream to come true if you haven’t first imagined the impossible! Your dream doesn't have to include a physical demand like mine. Maybe you've been curious about writing a book or knitting a sweater or taking the proper classes to become an Interior Designer! Dreamin' is the first step towards a possible action. Dreamin is free and you don’t need anyone to invite you to imagine possibilities, so you have no excuse not to start today!

I am excited to share my adventure as I work this year to be the healthiest, fittest, most fully expressed version of myself! As my journey unfolds I want to hear what impossible dreams you are going to say yes to in 2020?! How are you going to surprise yourself this year with taking a step twoards doing what you “know” can’t be done?!

Thank you to the many people who have inspired, informed and deeply influenced and encouraged me to get to my exciting mountain of a decision. Although I will be traveling to Africa on my own, each one of you holds a special place in my pocket throughout this adventure. If anyone else would like to come along in my pocket, don’t be shy! Everyone is welcome as long as you don’t add any weight to my limit of 33 pounds!