On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer, Tenzing Norgay, became the first men in history to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. They traveled through extreme conditions in brutally freezing temperatures only because they were committed to the task. Many had tried to reach the summit before but had given up just short of the goal. Hillary once said, “If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.”

Mountain climbers such as Hillary and Tenzing could never scale a significant mountain without an unwavering sense of commitment to the journey. In the same way, we cannot get to the mountaintop of success without the same kind of commitment and determination. Only climbing when we “feel like it” will never take us to new heights. We only get to the top through hard work and endurance. “Feeling like it” may get us started but it won’t keep us going. If we only climbed on the days we “felt like it,” we would never reach the top.

I can remember visiting my parents in Arizona for a mini-vacation when I was younger. They were very excited to take me hiking up Cathedral Rock in Sedona as well as many other mountain ranges around the area. I didn’t realize that the hikes would be so difficult for my untrained body. Everything seemed fine until we reached a point on Cathedral Rock that appeared to be straight up, at least that is what it felt like at the time. We finally reached the top after much walking, slipping, and climbing. When we finished the hike and were at the bottom returning to our car, I turned to my parents and said, “You guys do this for fun?”

Reaching the top of Cathedral Rock took a lot out of me. Thankfully, my parents were committed to pushing me further and further until we conquered the mountain. Now that I look back on the hike, I am proud I reached the top, even in spite of my complaining and reluctance to stay the course. I wanted to give up and surrender because I didn’t “feel like it”. 

Many people give up short of their dreams because the terrain to get there is too rough for them. When faced with obstacles and challenges, they tend to quit. But to reach the top, we have to fight through the setbacks and unforeseen challenges that may come our way. Always remember this…you can’t climb a smooth mountain. It is the rocky places that we can use to get our footing and propel us to the top. Never give up when it comes to your mission.

Keep in mind what Thomas Edison said, “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this – you haven’t.”