#011 – What We Can Learn From Mountain Climbers

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Bringing 5 interesting ideas to your inbox every Thursday morning to ignite your curiosity and drive your growth.

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read time 4 minutes 

#011 at a Glance:

• Quote that will get you thinking: Average effort for an above-average amount of time.

• Podcast you should listen to: Chris Williamson x Steven Bartlett.

• Mental Model: What we can learn from mountain climbers.

• Hack you should try: Say “I get to” instead of “I have to”.

• Tweet I liked: Your current chapter.

Quote that will get you thinking:

Podcast you should listen to:

The Diary of A CEO E237: Chris Williamson

I listened to this podcast on one of my runs the other week. I can’t remember a time when I was listening to a conversation and said “wow” out of fascination so many times…

Two of the biggest podcasters from the UK deep-diving into gaining confidence, the true price of success, and what really drives some of the world’s most successful people.

Having said all of that, one of the things I found most mind-opening from this chat was the way that Chris articulated the modern dating/relationship situation. Online dating, masculinity, feminism, all of it wrapped neatly into one.

EXTREMELY fascinating stuff which I personally hadn’t thought about before or was even really aware of.

(If you want to skip straight to the part about dating and relationships, go to 47:57).

Listen or Watch on Spotify here. Listen on Apple Podcasts here. Watch on YouTube here.

Mental Model:

What we can learn from mountain climbers 

One of the biggest risks facing mountain climbers (apart from falling off the mountain, of course) is altitude sickness. It occurs when a person ascends to high altitudes too quickly, not giving their body enough time to acclimatise to the reduced oxygen levels and lower air pressure.

The symptoms vary in severity and can include headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and shortness of breath. In most cases, the symptoms are mild and go away on their own as the body adjusts to the altitude. However, if the symptoms worsen and are not properly treated, more severe forms of altitude sickness can develop which are potentially life-threatening.

The most effective way to reduce the risk of altitude sickness is to slowly and steadily climb up the mountain, giving your body the time it needs to adjust at each stage. Only once that protocol has been followed can you reach the peak of the mountain and enjoy the view from the top without putting yourself in danger. If you were to just be dropped off at the top by a helicopter, it’s very likely that you would almost immediately pass out from the sudden change in air pressure/oxygen levels.

In other words, you have to earn it. You have to earn the right to stand on top of the mountain. There are no shortcuts, no secret passages, or time-saving detours. You have to earn it every step of the way.

Quite an incredible metaphor for life, don’t you think?

So many times, people want to achieve their goals right here, right now (myself included, don’t get me wrong). We want to skip to the ‘good’ part, the part when we’ve accomplished what we set out to achieve. But the thing is, we need to bide our time and understand that the climbing process is essential in allowing us to fully enjoy the destination.

I’m going to say that again:

The climbing process is essential in allowing us to fully enjoy the destination.

Just like mountain climbers, we need to earn the right to reach the top. Otherwise, we could easily pass out before getting to enjoy the view…

Hack you should try:

Say “I get to” instead of “I have to”

One of the best mindset shifts we can do to improve our outputs (and at the same time, enjoy the process a little more) is saying “I get to” instead of “I have to”.

• I have get to go to the gym.

• I have get to work really hard and apply myself to the best of my ability.

• I have get to read this book so I can better myself.

• I have get to listen to this podcast to expand my knowledge.

• I have get to push myself to finish this assignment.

• I have get to stay up late and complete this task so I can go to bed with the satisfaction of completion.

• I have get to wake up early and be productive.

• I have get to go for a run and improve my fitness.

Gratitude is an incredible fuel. Use it.

Tweet I liked:

Such a simple yet incredible question to reflect on. I found myself pondering this question for a while…

I think that if my life was a book, the title of the current chapter would be ‘Finding My Feet’. I’m going through a massive personal learning curve at the moment where I’m inwardly reflecting more about myself, my wants, needs, desires, and the future, than I ever have before. In many ways, I feel like I’ve suddenly arrived at 10 different forks in the road.

Now I challenge each of you to take 30 seconds out of your day and think about the same question…

What would be the title of your current chapter?

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading!

Grateful for your support.

Stay hungry, stay humble, & stay curious. ⚡

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