What a Family Hike Taught Me About Life - Daily Ramblings - July 7, 2018

A few days ago our family was looking forward to a nice easy hike around Bear Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We took the scenic drive up through Estes Park, paid the $25 to get into the park, and then we were turned back as we neared Bear Lake because the lots were full. Dejected, we stopped at the nearest visitor center to see if there was anything else we could hike nearby. After talking with one of the helpers at the visitor center we settled on hiking up Deer Mountain; a six mile round trip hike that would have us climbing over 1000 feet. What could go wrong with five kids with ages ranging from 5-13?

The hike started out great! The kids loved the scenery and the rocks they could scamper up. Then the path began to become steeper and the air thinned out. There were points on the trail where my legs and lungs were burning. If this was happening to me, I knew it was happening to my family. Then the complaining started. “Are we almost to the top?” “Can we go back?” We had lost focus of the trail. We began to miss the scenery and the fun of climbing rocks, and instead began to focus on the pain and the summit. It was a perfect opportunity for a life lesson.

As each kid came up to me pleading to turn back, or to ask how much longer it would take, I said the same thing over and over: “Focus on what you are doing, not where you are going. Put one foot in front of the other and before you know it we will be there.”

It was a good reminder for me as well. So often in life I focus my efforts on where I want to be, or what I want to accomplish. I also see this in business all the time. Managers constantly focus and remind their teams about their goals, but not the steps needed to reach the goal. I have fell victim to this as a leader multiple times. This isn’t to say that one should aimlessly pursue something without knowing what the goal is, but once the destination is determined, then the process should become the focus. When we took our first steps on our hike we knew where the destination was. The trail was clearly marked and led up the mountainside without confusion. All we had to do was follow the path and we would end up where we wanted to go. If we focused on the process then we would succeed.

Every time we refocused on the process – the next step – and pushed through the pain, we made it a little farther until we eventually reached the summit. A summit with amazing and breath taking views of Rocky Mountain National Park. As we rested, and took in the views, our pain from the climb gradually faded away. As we descended the mountain the kids were able to enjoy the scenery once again as they searched for shortcuts down the mountain side. I heard one of my daughters say multiple times, “That was one of the best things I have ever seen in my life!”

What started out as planned walk around a lake turned into a valuable life lesson for our family: When life gets challenging, put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Focus on the process and enjoy the rewards at the end of the journey!

Fall in love with the process!