Venturing on the Hero’s Journey to conquer the highest peak in Colorado, Mt. Elbert, was no small feat. Ten of us made it to the top earlier this month as part of The Climb 2023. We still had several hours of work ahead to descend the mountain, but you can detect the sense of relief and achievement for everyone at the summit!
The Journey
It was all part of a journey that had started months earlier. Over the course of the summer, we read five books together. We exercised and ate better. We met monthly to discuss what we were learning and to check in on our fitness, nutrition, and gear prep.
The Point of No Return
Then everyone met up at Snow Mansion in Breckenridge. There was no turning back! We went hiking on Loveland Pass above 11,000 feet to help us acclimatize to the altitude. We had an amazing mindfulness and singing bowl session with Sacha Prickett. We workshopped on how to chart a course for our future-selves. We kept writing our thoughts and ideas in The Climb Field Guide. We ate amazing food prepared by our nutritionist chef, Susan!
The “Misogi”
But the real test, was what Michael Easter refers to in his book The Comfort Crisis, as the “Misogi“. The idea around the misogi is you do something so hard one time a year that it has an impact the other 364 days of the year. You do one big thing that scares you and it expands your perception of what you are capable of.
We tend to stick to the safety of our comfort zones. Misogi’s knock you out of your comfort zone and stretch your capacity.
Our Misogi was to climb a really big mountain. We left at 3am and climbed with headlamps in the dark. It was cold. The air kept getting thinner. There were headaches, nausea and fatigue.
The Rewards
Of course, it wasn’t all misery! There were the beautiful stars. A gorgeous sunrise about the time we broke through timberline. The connection with each other as we worked toward the summit. And there were the expanding views and vistas the higher we went!
The Hero’s Journey
Joseph Campbell popularized the idea of The Hero’s Journey in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces. In this book, Campbell outlines the Hero’s Journey, a universal story arc of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world’s mythic traditions. We see the journey in the best books and movies. We see it in our lives!
What Next?
We see it in our businesses! The journey to a great, successful, self-managing company doesn’t just happen. Are you ready to expand the capacity of your team and take your business to a new level? Are you willing to expand your capacity by learning and using the tools and disciplines that will strengthen the Key Components™ of your business! Let’s get to work! I’m here to guide you on your successful journey to new heights!
Let’s schedule a call.. I’m here to help…
Quote I Am Pondering
“A radical new body of evidence shows that people are at their best—physically harder, mentally tougher, and spiritually sounder—after experiencing the same discomforts our early ancestors were exposed to every day. Scientists are finding that certain discomforts protect us from physical and psychological problems like obesity, heart disease, cancers, diabetes, depression, and anxiety, and even more fundamental issues like feeling a lack of meaning and purpose.”
― Michael Easter, The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
Related Reading:
- For further insights into leadership and clarity, check out our related post: Leadership Clarity Lesson: Grays Peak—a valuable lesson learned during another challenging ascent.