What's Your Everest?

A recent conversation about stretch goals got me thinking about the new year and what’s ahead in 2022. It’s been some time since I wrote down my goals, let along some big ones – the kind you look at and feel uncomfortable because you think “well that would be nice, but is not realistic.”  Here’s a little secret – stretch goals, the kind that give us pause, should feel that way. Because "if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough."

Four years ago, in 2017, I attended a goal setting event at Mission Fitness with a group of about 20 members. We were asked to write down a stretch goal – one that felt within the realm of possibility, but also made us feel uncomfortable. This was done intentionally to get us thinking about self-imposed boundaries and reaching beyond our comfort zone. Sometimes it takes a friend to push us past the limits of what we think is achievable – and that is what this exercise was designed to do.

At the event, I wrote down a goal to climb Mount Washington – the highest peak in New England at 6,288 feet – it was my personal “Everest.” Mind you, the sum total of my mountain climbing experience up until that point was zero. I had barely climbed a hill, save for a few local trails in the area like Case Mountain and Avon Mountain. For perspective, Case Mountain is 744 feet, so setting a goal like Mt. Washington felt beyond reach.

The funny thing about goals though is when you write them down and take them seriously, a mindset shift starts to occur that drives action, preparation and focus. It was January when I committed to this goal and one I knew would take some training. As an avid runner at that time, I had built endurance, but I also needed to improve my strength. There’s a difference between running flat roads and climbing uneven terrain at elevation in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Over the next 6 months, with training and practice climbs sponsored by Matt Mund, owner of Mission Fitness, I began to build strength and with it, came confidence – mind/body connection is powerful. In June, a group took on Mount Monadnock – claimed to be “the most frequently climbed mountain in the world.” Led by Matt and Davey Edwards, founder of Open Doors Outdoors, I took part in this climb and made it to the summit – 3,166 feet. Way higher than Case Mountain, but still just half the distance of Washington. Progress comes in stages.

Over the summer, I continued to work on strength training, running hills and getting in some more climbs on local trails. At the end of August, we declared it was “go time” and locked in on a date to make the journey to take on Washington. Joined by a number of Mission Fitness members and led by Darcy Lucas and Matt Mund, I was part of a team that made it to the summit – 6,288 feet.  It was a climb that tested me and took a toll on my legs for sure, but also one I felt proud to have accomplished – with the help of friends Matt calls “our tribe.”

Fast forward to today and a documentary I recently saw on Netflix – 14 Peaks – a story about mountain climber Nimsdai Purja. Nims set a goal of summitting the 14 highest peaks in the world – all mountains over 8,000 meters in Nepal, Pakistan and China. This incredible story recounts that the world record for achieving this feat took 7 years – Nims completed it in 6 months. Mountains that take an average expedition 2 months were climbed in a single day by Nims and his team. It was a journey that took intense planning, but also something he'd been preparing for his whole life.

In closing, I will leave with a few final thoughts about achieving the impossible. A favorite quote from Sully Sullenberger, the hero of Flight 1549 – Miracle on the Hudson (in 2009 by the way) states “everything is unprecedented until it happens for the first time.” For many of us, staying in our comfort zone is a warm and cozy place.  I suppose it’s OK to stay in that zone, you just have to accept the fact that nothing ever grows there.

If we don’t step out on the edge and jump, we are never going to know what comes next.  Advice I have to give myself to keep moving out of the comfort bubble. In thinking about goals for the new year, I encourage you to set some big ones and ask yourself if they are realistic, achievable and a little scary. Hopefully the answer is on the fringe of your comfort level. You see, Everest comes in many forms and is different for each us. In thinking about 2022, my question for you is “what’s your Everest?”