Lessons from the Rock of Guatape
While in Colombia my wife and I had the opportunity to visit and climb The Rock of Guatape (El Peñón de Guatapé). Now, this is no ordinary rock, the rock towers 200 meters (656 feet) above its base. And we had heard it was going to be an experience going up and down it, but little did I know I was going to learn some lessons along the way.
Lessons:
I’m going to start with the obvious: Focus on your health. Several times while going up this rock, I felt like I was going to lose one of my lungs. Ok, maybe that’s extreme, but our health is important. I enjoy running and I encourage you to find an activity that you enjoy and get moving towards a healthier you.
Find the opportunity within the problem. Surprisingly enough, this huge rock sits on private property because the government, a long time ago, saw this rock as a problem and decided to sell the land around it. The family who bought the property saw the potential it could be and built around the rock in a way that now is one of the top visited places by tourists.
Go at your own pace. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget “the look” people would give me as they would pass me on our way to the top. To be honest it is so easy to fall into competition, not only while climbing but also in life in general. Sometimes we can think: if only I was stronger, smarter, or had their resources then could I do what they do, but remember this is YOUR journey. You have been wired and gifted the way you are on purpose. Let others inspire and motivate you but don’t you dare compare.
Rest if you must, but don’t quit. This one is kind of connected to the last point but how many of us are guilty of thinking of quitting, when really we just need a break? On our way to the top, there were signs that mark every 100 steps we would take. And I remember after the first 100 steps I was surprised to see that there was a “u-turn” door that would lead you back down. And believe me, I strongly considered going back down, but the other thought in my head was, I came too far to not do this. So I told myself, when we come across the next “u-turn” door I’ll take it down, there obviously has to be more doors. Well, guess what? There were no more “u-turn” doors. I truly believe that if there had been, I would have taken one of them, but that fact that there wasn’t was actually a good thing. It taught me that I can reach the end, if I rest and don’t quit.
You must give up, to go up. Some of the advice we had received in preparation for this excursion was don’t take too much with you, sacrifice the heavy and extra stuff in your backpack and just take the necessities like a bottle of water, comfortable shoes, sun glasses, etc… If you want to reach the top, it’s oftentimes going to require sacrifice. What are you willing to sacrifice, to give up, to live a life of significance and destiny?
Your circle matters. If only you could have heard Zely and I that day, we sounded so funny alternating in encouraging each other. In moments when I felt like I couldn’t continue, she would say “Hey, you got this!” And in life, we need people who can encourage, challenge, and pull out the best in us. Who you surround yourself with matters and impacts your future.
The climb is tough, but the view is worth it. I won’t tell you how long it took, but I am proud to announce that we made it to the top! The first thing we did up there was sit down; but the second thing we did was take pictures. And as we stared out, I can’t lie, the view made me forget what I had gone through to get there. You may be going through something real tough right now, I want to encourage you and say “You got this and your view after this, is going to be worth it.”
