Up and Down

When there is nowhere to go but down.

I was talking to my daughter the other day to give her some perspective on success in life, accomplishment, and the choices we make. She was concerned that she needed to make some choices, and it would send her down a path that would change the trajectory of her life.

I was trying to reassure her that the future is unknown, and that if she chooses the wrong path, she can just choose a different one. She was very concerned that once she put in all that effort, and found out that where she ended up sucked, that there was no way back.

I suggested to her, that sometimes to go up, you have to go back down.

When you reach the summit, you can go no higher. No matter how much energy you expend, you have already reached the highest point. We look to the mountain next to us, as we think and ponder how we can get from this summit to the other summit while staying at the level we are.

In order to climb another mountain, you need to climb down from the one you are on.

The thought of descending fills us with fear and dread.

We fear that we will lose what we have gained. That climbing down from the peak will strand us in the valley, that we will never again accomplish what we have done.

I pointed out that the accomplishment was in the past. It is something that has already been done. No one can take it away from you. Celebrate, and then look to climb again.

Going down allows for the potential of going back up. Staying put on one peak that you have summited leaves you stationary, unable to go any higher no matter how hard you try. It is especially important if the peak you have reached the summit of is a place where you no longer want to be.

The simple truth is, the valley is not bad, and staying in one place, at the summit you are on, is not growth nor moving forward.

In order to climb again, you need to descend and look back up at the peaks. It is only from the bottom that we can begin to rise.