Moving forward, slowly, slowly

Recently, I was asked,

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

Immediately, my mind went to a journey I had taken. A 19,341-foot-journey up Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I had done the climb with my father, a group of climbers and an experienced guide. It was a grueling climb that required months of preparation and a strong body and mind.

We made it to the summit and a picture of my dad and me from that day sits on my dresser as a reminder of our perseverance, dedication, hard work, and the incredible experience.

Looking at that photo, I often reflect back on the lessons I learned from that climb:

1. I can do hard things.

2. Ask for encouragement when you need it.

3. Find beauty in unexpected places.

4. Things that seem permanent are not.

5. For some journeys, we need a guide.

6. Accept help.

Most importantly, I learned to move slowly, to take one step and then another. 

There are much harder things than climbing a mountain—just look back at the last six months, and you will find many. But as we continue to face adversity and challenges, I hope you can take the story of my journey and remind yourself to just keep moving forward, slowly, slowly.

Please listen to my mediation video, where I tell the story of this journey.