“Did you make a mistake?”
As my friend and I carefully scaled our way down the steep gravely trail in the Quiraing Mountain Pass in Scotland, we assured the woman we were just coming down the trail.
It was too steep to walk down, especially as our hiking boots slipped in the gravel and sand. Instead, we crab-walked, holding on to the larger stones as we scooted down.
Once we were safely at the bottom, the woman continued down her own much easier path while a local with a white German Shepherd — who had been watching us from a rock — walked the opposite way, likely staying until the end to see if he had to call Mountain Rescue to save us.
Because we had taken a detour ascending the breathtaking mountain on the Isle of Skye, we had to backtrack a bit. Most of the trails were steep and narrow and we didn’t question this challenging path.
At the bottom, we looked back up to see there had been no trail at all.
We had seen a path where no one else had and scrambled our way down through sheer determination and maybe a bit of luck.
In life and your career, the way forward is a bit like hiking through the Scottish mountains.
As we started out, there were a lot of people. Many turned around as they experienced more intimidating terrain with large boulders and small footholds. It was mentally and physically challenging.
Sometimes the narrow trails were long and steep, with nothing more than a few inches of grass to the side before a steep drop down the edge of a sharp cliff. At times, we weren’t sure we were heading the right way.
Hiking through the mountains — real ones and those you experience in your life — takes a bit of bravery and boldness. Sometimes the path is well-worn. Other times it detours to a lesser known, more stunning view. Occasionally you get to the end of a path to discover the only way up is a steep scramble.
And sometimes you forge your own path where others see none.
Republished from May 2022