A few weeks ago, I was up in Maine visiting my Aunt. My husband, my sister-in-law, and I decided to go for a hike at a place called Tumbledown Mountain. The hike was listed as challenging but said it was a little over 3.5 miles. It sounded easy enough as we are all seasoned hikers. Boy, were we in for a surprise.​

It seems that somebody lied. The hike was well over 8 miles in total. Normally, an 8-mile hike isn't a big deal but this hike was unlike anything I have ever done in my life. I have been hiking since I was a kid all across the country but this was the most challenging hike I think I’ve ever been on.

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The hike was pretty steep but I went from your average everyday hiker to a rock climber even though I've never rock climbed in my life. I had Dave calling out my next foothold and handhold while I was yelling obscenities in my head. If you’ve met Dave, we are not the same height and so I kept finding myself stuck because I couldn’t reach where he could.

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I am not the biggest fan of heights and there were many moments when I found myself at the edge of the mountain reminding myself not to look down, and also trying not to think, “If I lose my grip I will fall off this mountain and either break every bone in my body or die.​” Maybe this was a bit dramatic, but maybe not. 😂

At another point, I was wedged in between two rocks trying to figure out where and how to move a hand or a foot to grab a metal ladder rung. This time the obscenities were not just being said in my head.

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Not only was I being tested physically but I was also being tested mentally.

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On several occasions, I wanted to give up and go back down. Fortunately or unfortunately, going back down was more treacherous than going up and so there was almost no choice in the matter. We were going to have to continue the climb.

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We reached an opening on the mountain and saw a huge peak in front of us. We all laughed because we knew for a fact there was no way in hell we were going to climb that part of the mountain. We had already climbed a lot, had some intense moments, and thought for sure the lake would be right around the corner.

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Just in case you were wondering this is what we were looking at:

We clearly had a long way to go.

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The lake was not right around the corner. Before we knew it we were climbing that mega mountain we had just said an emphatic hell no to.

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I realized then that it was time to stop wishing for things to be different than they were. We weren't going back down and so the only thing left to do was to keep going.

We took a minute to laugh about the fact that we had a long way to go to get to the lake, and then we moved on. I focused on my breath and each movement I had to make and tried to stay present. I made a note to enjoy the beautiful scenery around me.

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I knew the reward for all my efforts would be worth every ounce of energy I exerted. And boy was it ever! The lake was so clean, clear, cool, and refreshing. My aching joints sighed with relief as I swam around the crystal clear water. Not only was it amazing but we all felt so proud of ourselves for following through!

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Our view of the lake:

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Our minds will always try to find all the reasons that we can't or shouldn't do something. They will try to keep us in a place where we feel safe and comfortable which keeps us playing small.

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You can choose to believe the stories our minds tell you. Or you can choose to step outside of your comfort zone, take the challenge, and have some amazing experiences.

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As always, the choice is yours.

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Imagine if I had chosen to give up and head back down the mountain. I would not have seen what I was capable of, both physically and mentally, but I would have missed out on that amazing lake and the beautiful scenery around me. I would have also missed out on the camaraderie with my husband and sister-in-law as we laughed, cursed, and helped each other make it along the way. They are memories we will never forget.

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Sometimes we need to be reminded that it's ok to be scared, it's ok to challenge yourself, and it's ok to move outside of your comfort zone. It's not easy but life goes by in a flash and you want your life to be filled with stories of what happened and not what didn't.

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Don't miss out on experiences that will stay with you for a lifetime just so you can play small. Go after what you want even if it scares you, challenges you, and makes you feel uncomfortable. I guarantee that you won't regret it.