Ascension

I like explaining things using analogies because they're so descriptive and I can usually get my point across really well when I get a reader to think about a situation differently. I was thinking about how I could describe one's journey from being mediocre at your craft to being a successful expert and it all clicked when I started likening it to a journey up a mountain. When you start with your craft initially, that can be likened to you starting out at base camp. You haven't really done anything, but you know that where you are is kind of where you want to be.

As you begin to practice, it's like you take your backpack and stand at the base of the mountain. You look up and see a steep climb that doesn't look appealing at all. What's even worse is that about 50 metres up the mountain there is a thick mist preventing you from from seeing up any further. If you aren't self aware, you assume that the summit is just beyond that mist. As you practice and fail at your craft, you start your figurative ascension. The terrain is still somewhat kind to you and the other climbers with grass and small plants that are nice to look at. The journey still looks like the pamphlets you read through that brought you to this mountain in the first place.

As you become more serious about your climb, you edge closer to the mist at 50 metres. You turn to look at base camp and figure you've gone the distance and the climb is almost over. Now you figure it is time for you to enter the mist and claim the spoils of reaching the top of the mountain. As you enter the mist you notice that there less people around you trying to climb further. You notice that some of these people are taking selfies to show their Instagram feed just how far they've gone. At this point, the more serious individuals enter the mist knowing they haven't even really begun yet. Once in the mist, you look up and only see 5 metres in front of you you and wonder how far you are from the top. There really is no way of knowing. You continue to grind it out, practicing hard at your craft every day as you slowly go through the mist up the mountain. You slip into a routine of practice your craft that you follow religiously for months and months until you look at your calendar and realize that you've been climbing for a year.

One year passes and you start noticing some things. It's a lot quieter around you because there are less people. Very few, if any, have time to take pictures because they've also settled into climbing routines. The elements are a but harsher and you feel like you're running out of steam from time to time, but you find it in yourself to soldier on. Some days are better than others, but you still find enjoyment in what you're trying to accomplish. As you look up the mountain, the mist is so thick the only thing you can really tell is that you're either going up or down. You start to realise that climbing is not the only skill that's being tested. You need to carry your backpack, provide nourishment for yourself, interact with the people climbing with you to stay sane and stay motivated and you realise just how tough that all is. At this point, people around you are getting injured and dehydrated, but that doesn't put you off your goal.

You notice a patch on the mountain above you that the mist doesn't reach so you head towards it expectantly. When you reach it, there's a small camp of individuals who have had enough of climbing and feel that they've climbed up far enough. This is their max and when they get home they're planning on telling their families just how high up they went. They're comfortable at this height so much so that they've created a little camp site there. You aren't swayed by this so you stock up on goods, say your goodbyes and make your way up further.

This climbing can go on for years without reaching the summit. Your dreams might die on the mountain or you might succeed and finally reach the summit, but either way it's a treacherous journey that gets tougher the higher up you climb. Never feel like you've reached the top or you will be just like the people at the camp site on the mountain. Don't mind the mist. It is the unknown that will separate the people who failed from the people who failed and carried on going.

I wish you luck and persistence on your journey.
SB