There it stands, solemn and resolute, towering towards the sky. . . . Welcome to the wall! It’s this image that comes to mind when I think about any big challenge that must be overcome during a journey towards a personal goal. Perhaps a different mental picture forms during your testing times; you might imagine yourself at the bottom of a deep pit or faced with some other equally formidable obstruction. Whatever shape they take, such impasses are often places where the flickering flames of aspiration and hope are extinguished—never to be relit. Getting over or through them requires strong stuff.
No matter how smoothly we’ve been making our way forward, these barriers can appear anywhere and can stop us in our tracks. They look into our souls and weigh what we carry in our hearts. . . . You may not pass. Give up! When faced with such an overpowering challenge, it’s easy to lose momentum, energy and confidence in an instant; giving up might seem easy, even natural. However, before throwing away our hard-won gains, we should take some time to stare back at the looming monster ahead, and while doing so, gather our fortitude, steel our resolve and visualise standing on the other side. We can surmount the obstacle or smash through it. We can find a weakness in a small crack and break it down from there. We might need to take it apart piece by piece, but we don’t have to give up.
Most journeys begin with a single step along some kind of path. We might set off without knowing where we will eventually end up or exactly what we will encounter along the way, but it’s likely that there will be difficult situations to deal with. If we take it upon ourselves to follow our inner calling, then, at times, we are going to have to fight up steep inclines and battle adversity. We have to be prepared to persevere. That is the way of the worthwhile endeavour, the way of the adventure that brings meaning to our efforts and lives. It might take a long time to reach a destination, and the challenge may turn out to be even tougher than we first thought, but as long as we don’t quit, we are still on target.
It’s when we are the most exhausted and disheartened but refuse to give in—somehow managing to keep heading towards our goals—that the human spirit makes its greatest gains. During those dark, shadowy days, it’s hard to notice the growth that’s taking place inside us. It is only when we reach the top of the wall or break through to the other side of an obstacle that it becomes apparent. Those are the moments when we feel like we can fly. Those are the times when we know that nothing is impossible.
A Note on the Images:
The images featured in this piece consist of photographs taken by Philip S. Kay and images used under a royalty-free or CC0 licence that require no attribution.
Escape & Adventure 