What Gets In Your Way?

THERE are two kinds of people in my world – VALLEY people and MOUNTAIN people – But which one are you?

VALLEY people seek the calm and comfortable ground of shelter, safety and security. They may talk about change, but don’t want to be involved in it, especially if this means breaking a routine of whats worked okay up till now. Their concept of achievement is ‘not losing’ so playing for a draw to them is all thats needed. Their concept of fitness, is being fit to survive. They are the people you meet whose sentences start with, ‘I would have …’ , ‘I could have … , or ‘I should have …’. They are the almost people who have many explanations for not making it themselves and only one for those who have – luck. They talk about the risk of losing and yet, they are losers – they just don’t know it.

MOUNTAIN people have decided that valley life is not for them, and seek to test ambition on the toughest of climbs. They know that there is a rich satisfaction in reaching the top and the fight that’s needed to get there. They live for the test of change and enjoy resilience required to bounce back from the bumps and bruises that come with the mountain territory. They not only talk about change, they deliver it.

Mountain people take the risk of winning because, to them there’s no such thing as a risk of losing. People can lose without training or practice, it comes quite naturally, so where’s the risk in that? They know that achievement is not always reflected in a gold medal, but is always measured by the excitement of knowing just how much further their best shots takes them when they take the risk of winning.

Achievement is balanced on the finest of edges, but they know that, whatever the outcome of the contest, they are always accountable for the result. They are winning … AND THEY KNOW THEY ARE!

Each of us has mountains to climb. They may not all be Mount Everest but they are still our mountains. They arise is all areas of our life. Where and when will your next step forward take place?

(Reference: Dick, F. 1997. Winning. Abington Publishing, London.) 

My questions to you are:

• Are you a VALLEY person or MOUNTAIN person?
• Do you believe you can reach the top of your personal mountains?
• … And then continue your onward journey?