Have you walked up the mountain backwards lately?
Being on a journey of personal development can seem like a never-ending story—or at least it has for me. I find myself looking at how far I have to go, and not enough at how far I’ve come.
Quite some time ago, as I struggled to discern the difference the work I was doing was having in my life, a wise and loving friend shared a story with me. The story goes something like this:
An elder invited a young woman to walk up the mountain with her. They started early in the morning as the sun came up. As they walked up the mountain with a bit of a struggle, the elder turned around and began walking up the mountain backwards. The young woman paused to ask, “Why are you walking backwards? Isn’t harder to see where you are going?”
The elder replied, “At times it is important to walk up the mountain backwards to see how far we have come, and not always look at how far we have to go.”
This story continues to help me remember the importance of reflecting on my life and to appreciate how far I have come on my journey of healing and reclaiming my true self. Seeing how far I have come gives me the courage and strength to continue on my journey, especially in the times when it seems as though I have not made any progress at all.
I have passed this story along to others, struggling to see any progress on their journey, and I hope it helps them as much as it has helped me.
I invite you to walk up the mountain, backwards.