Claiming Success
Three years in the making, and the timing is perfect, exactly as it was always meant to be. January 2020, based on a friends belief in me, I combined a few life long dreams and set my sights on hiking to Kilimanjaro, one of the seven summits of the world. My intention was to prove to myself that I could do something that I didn’t think I could do. It doesn’t matter that other people had no doubt in my abilities, my opinion of my own strength and capability was all that mattered.
Three years later, my purpose has not changed, but my perspective has shifted in meaningful proportions. When I first committed to this endeavor, success looked like a selfie at the top of Kilimanjaro, next to the sign that marks the accomplishment of making it to the oxygen deprived destination of 19,341. If I did not reach that sign on the peak, I was not successful.
With three years of anticipation and vacillation, I now have come to realize firmly that success is not determined by that selfie at the top! Success has already been experienced through every day of this journey that included training, packing, sweating, a lot of sweating, new friendships, rekindled friendships and immense gratitude for my healthy and able body. Success was found in exploring so many new trails, getting lost…and found, pushing my perceived limits and tapping into a mental strength I didn’t know existed. Success was allowing my kids to watch me navigate disappointment, frustration, injuries, time management and hours of training and preparation. I have found success around every corner of this journey so far and I haven’t even reached the trailhead yet!
Life is most exquisite when we live in the journey. The destination is merely a marker on the road life. I am so excited, nervous, adrenaline-filled and ready to embark on this African adventure. I am equally excited to put my feet on African soil as I am to take a selfie at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. I have trained, planned and mentally prepared to the best of my ability so what happens from here is out of my control. I choose to enter this phase of the adventure with wild-eyed enthusiasm and keen awareness of the present moment. All I have is this moment. I am ready to go prove to myself that I can do something that I didn’t think I could do… Maybe I already have?!
What will you claim as your success today? I hope you courageously choose you!
Courageously yours,
Jordana 🧡
