False Peaks

If you ever climbed a mountain before you'll know what I am referring to when I say "False Peaks." Not only will you know you will most likely cringe. A false peak can be a crippling psychological blow on an extremely difficult climb. what is a false peak? Its exactly as it sounds. It is a point of the mountain that leads you to believe that it is the summit, when in reality it is merely high enough and you are at such an angle that it only appears to be the highest point on the mountain. In reality the false peak hides the true peak and you only discover this when have either mounted the false peak or are near its top. You can imagine the blow. You have been climbing for hours, you're tired, its no doubt cold, you have pushed out your last bit of energy thinking this is the top I am there, I have achieved the goal only to find there is still several hundred feet to go. WHAM!!!!!! What a blow, how devastating, you thought you were done, you thought you had achieved the goal, you thought it was over, you just exhumed your last bit of strength and your still still several hundred feet away. Your still behind, you still haven't made it. To achieve the goal you are going to have to push out more strength, endure more hardship. This is always a point of reflection. You always have to ask yourself the question; Am I committed the journey or to the objective? Did I come here to try as hard as I could or did I come here to reach the top. so many of us set on journeys to reach objectives and we encounter false peaks, places where we thought we were going to be on easy street but discovered that we still had quite a bit of work to do. We always have to ask whether we're committed to a journey or an objective. Those committed to a journey are coming because they think the process will be enjoyable or a good time, in other words easy, they think they will have to give out very little and that there sacrifices will be minimal. These people typically give up when the journey becomes to difficult, the hike was a little harder, the journey a little longer, the sacrifice a little more than what they planned on. These types of people generally give up when they encounter the "False Peak". Then there are those who are committed to the objective. Those willing to do what ever it takes, when these people encounter the "False Peaks" they don't give up. Don't get me wrong those committed to the objective are devastated, it still frustrates them, some of them (if your like me) will take a moment and whine before they gain there composer, but on their moment of reflection, when it comes to decision time those committed to the objective continue on toward the summit despite how much more difficult the road ahead looks, despite how many more false peaks they may encounter, there committed to the summit, and it is the summit they will reach. Don't get me wrong their are many good views from halfway up the mountain but nothing is like view of the summit, there is no feeling like it on earth. To all you out there, I encourage you let us shoot for the summit.