Sitting on a balcony seventeen floors up at the Arya Hotel in the Grove. There’s a certain beauty having a bird’s eye view of the city, especially at night. Being eye level with sky lofts housing millionaires can make a poor man feel like they can walk amongst the giants.
To the right I can see their yachts and sailboats parked in the marina. Lights reflecting off the water glisten like yellow and white gold — like a real life Monet piece. Easy to believe that this place was once the country’s largest cocaine distribution hub. It’s perfect. It’s beautiful. It’s peaceful. Yet, it’s thought provoking.
Like the waves in the water, my mind is never still. Some days calm, other days rough and turbulent. Lately, I’ve been mindful of every thought that questions my purpose. What am I doing? Am I doing it right? Who am I doing it for? Am I moving in the right direction? Am I good enough? Questions of self doubt assume control of my mind.
You need to truly understand that your journey to the peak is never linear. In fact, your journey is multi-directional — up, left, right, down. Many times you will find yourself posted at the base of your foundation with no movement at all. That foundation can be overlooked. We can be so consumed with looking at the top, we forget how much the ground beneath us can be used to prepare us for the climb. Elite climber and free soloist Alex Honnold climbed up El Capitan without any ropes or safety. The route to the top of the iconic granite wall at Yosemite National Park was all but straight up. Yet it wasn’t a climb that Honnold did without preparing… on the ground. He spent days, months, and years preparing for that climb. Building his foundation and most importantly eliminating any doubt that he couldn’t make it up the 3,000 ft wall. By all means, one mistake would cost him his life.
Lately, I’ve been looking at life as an experience. Accepting of the negative and positive moments that I go through. It’s imperative that through this process of growth, you continue to put yourself first and do the things that are intuitive to making you happy. Sometimes you don’t need a specific direction to be ok with where you’re currently at in life. You can find beauty in the struggle. In fact, appreciate and find beauty in the journey. Most of us will never be content and we will always want better for ourselves or the ones we love. It’s ok to feel self doubt. But recognize it, and move from it. Improve from it and strengthen your foundation while you feel grounded. When it’s time for you to climb, you’ll be prepared for the journey up, left, right, and sometimes down.
Your ability to find joy and happiness in any situation you’re in is predicated on the foundation you’ve built through your experiences in life. Appreciate it.
