Half Hike Is Not Good Enough

A famous mountain climbing resort in the Swiss Alps caters to businesses that encourage their employees to hike up the mountain trails together. The goal is to build camaraderie and to teach teamwork. Although it is about an eight hour trek to the summit, anyone in reasonably good shape can ascend to the top. In the morning, the hikers gather at the base of the mountain for a pep talk before starting the climb. Usually the group is so excited, they can hardly wait to head up the slopes, have a group picture taken, and celebrate the excitement of the journey they are embarking upon.

They hike for several hours before taking a break. Approximately halfway up the mountain stands a quaint alpine restaurant. About noon, the weary hikers trudge into the restaurant, peel off their hiking gear, and plop down by the fireplace to have a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and eat their lunch. With the mountain as their backdrop, the hikers savor the warm, cozy, picturesque setting.

Interestingly, after they are full and comfortable, fewer than half the hikers choose to continue climbing to the top of the mountain. It isn’t because they aren’t able; it isn’t because the climb suddenly appears too difficult. Their reluctance to continue is simply because they are satisfied with where they are. They’ve lost their drive to excel, to explore a new horizon, and to experience vistas they’d never previously imagined possible. They have tasted a bit of success, and they think it is good enough.

Many times, we approach life a lot like those full and comfortable hikers sitting in the restaurant enjoying the view. We have a goal to break a bad habit, to lose some weight, or to pay off our credit cards. At first, we’re so excited. We’re fired up and we go after it! The first leg of the climb up the mountain is powered by enthusiasm for our new goal. But over time, we get lazy and complacent. Maybe we see a little improvement, but then we get comfortable right where we are. This might not be a bad place, but we know it’s not where we’re supposed to be.

Like those hikers sitting in that quaint restaurant, we are still perfectly capable of craning our necks and looking up the mountain. We’re not stretching our faith or our potential and we know it. Maybe you own a business, and you’ve experienced a bit of success. Lately, however, you’ve been coasting. Or maybe you set out to lose 20 pounds, you lose 10, and feel like all is good and you get complacent. Don’t stop halfway just because it’s easy! Instead, remember what it is that you really, really want. Put out the effort and go the whole way… to the top of the mountain.

Step out of your comfort zone today! Keep pursuing and keep believing. It doesn’t take any more effort to believe and stay filled with hope and faith than it does to develop a negative and defeated attitude. Get up every day and say, “This is going to be a great day! I believe my dreams are coming to pass. There are great things in store for me and everyone around me.” When you have that kind of attitude you are releasing God’s goodness. But it doesn’t come easily.

People who see their dreams come to pass are people who have resolve and backbone. They are the ones who refuse to settle for the little victories along the way and see themselves at the finish line, instead continuing on, pushing on toward the ultimate goal. No one wants to be mediocre. You are made for so much more.

Realize that what your mind focuses on, it can achieve. It is up to you. Pay attention only to those silent whispers within that say “You can do it!”

Linda McLean

Linda McLean is an internationally respected business and life coach. Her company: www.mcleaninternational.com helps businesses and individuals reach their next level using a customized solution-oriented approach to business and life planning.

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Real Story Of My Small Adventure and Facing My Fear

I am afraid of rides. I can feel panic setting inside me, just by thinking about some of the amusement park rides.  Few years back, I had gone to Six Flags with some friends. I just took part in 2 rides.  One of them was allowed for small kids, and I was terrified the whole time I was on the ride.  I was waiting for the ride to be over. The other one was a boat ride. I badly wasted my money on that trip.

I am not sure why I am afraid of rides but this fear has been with me for a long time.  I am more afraid of rides as compared to height.  When I am on a ride the imagining how the ride would suddenly coming down puts fear in my heart and mind.

Last month I went to Florida with my family and one of the places on our travel map was Key West. Key West is the southern most island in the continental USA. It is famous for many adventure activities it offers. One of the activities is Para sailing in which you would be suspended in the air on a Parachute and connected to a boat below with a rope.  At the peak a person hovers around 600 ft above the water.

My wife is much more courageous when it comes to rides and she wanted to  go for Para sailing.  I tried to convince her about going for "more fun activity" like glass bottom boat trip.  I explain to  her about the great ocean view she would have from the boat, but she wouldn't listen. I then asked if she would go sailing alone.  She still wouldn't listen, I was required with her. I reluctantly agreed, while secretly praying for weather to turn bad which would cancel the Para sailing trip.

When we reached the ticketing area, I asked the clerk at the ticket counter whether Para sailing was safe.
"Absolutely" she responded. She still couldn't convince me.

At 5 pm our boat was ready to take us to the ocean for the trip.  When the boat from the previous trip came back I asked another couple who went with us about how it felt.

"How did you feel? Was it scary?" I asked.
"Little scary, especially when you see your feet dangling." was the response.  "Do not look down" was the last advice.

I boarded the boat reluctantly and my heart was pounding.  I tried to act brave and tried to bring a smile on to my face.  There were two other pairs on the boat.

As the boat raced to an open area in the ocean the crew got ready to send one pair to the sky. The crew puts one pair at a time on the Para sailing and once they come down they send the next pair.  Thankfully we were the last pair.

As the first pair got ready one of the crew members took some pictures and they looked very happy.  Then they were harnessed to the parachute and they were then released into the air as the boat picked up speed.  Soon they were at the top.  I tried to find out if they were afraid at the top, but their faces were not clear because of the distance.

Around 5 to 10 minutes later, they were slowly pulled back to the boat and the next pair went up.  The pair which came back were very happy, but I was more worried about my condition while on the top. The crew asked us to put on the life jacket and pose for some pictures.  I was very nervous so was my wife.  I think she was little concerned if I would be able to handle it.

The second pair also came down.  Now it was our turn.

The crew quickly harnessed us to the parachute and asked us to pose for one last picture before we went up.  Gradually the rope was release and the boat picked up the speed.  As we went up I realized I was not as afraid as I had imagined myself to be.  Gradually the distance between us and the boat increased and then we were at the top and the boat looked very small.

The high wind was making continuously shaking us in the air.  I could see the Atlantic ocean and it majestic blue water below us. I turned my head back and saw the sun going down.  I was about the to see the sun set.  I felt great and somehow the fear was gone.  As we dangled in the air, pushed around by the wind, I was kept watching the surroundings and felt blessed.  There was no fear, only joy.

My wife was more afraid than me and she held on to the harness too tightly and kept her eyes closed.  I asked he to open the eyes and see the surrounding but she was too nervous to do that.

After some time the boat crew started to pull back the rope and we were lowered down.  Just before landing on the boat they let out dangling feet touch the ocean water.  Finally we were pulled back to the boat.

Although thousands of people participate in para sailing activity routinely, for me it was a life time experience and it taught me two things -

1. Things may not be as scary as they seem to be unless you try them.  Who know what you can discover when you try out new adventure in life.

2.  It reconfirmed that I am more afraid of rides rather than height.  One of my lifetime wish is to to do para jumping.  I still do not know if I can do that. But, I never know.

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The Top 10 Ways to Get Free Traffic To Your Blog

There are millions of blogs but most of them die due to lack of publicity. Here are my ideas to generate free publicity for your blog. Some of them may be commonly know but they are still useful.  Implement 2 to 4 ideas everyday and see consistent growth in your website traffic.

1. Share on Google Plus - Google Plus is one of the largest online community. You can join a community related to the topic of your blog and share your blog posts with them.

2. Facebook - Facebook has millions of users. Users with interest in thousands of topics are present.  If you share your article links in proper manner You can get free publicity.

3. Linkedin - Linkedin is a network of professionals and most people think of it as as professional networking media.  You may be surprised to know that hobby groups also exist in Linkedin.  You can share your post and engage in discussions there.

4. Social bookmark on Digg, Stumbleupon and Reddit -  Digg, Stumbleupon and Reddit are great platforms to spread any idea or link if they are interesting or unique.  Register on these sites and post links to your articles regularly.

5. Yahoo Answers - Most people use internet to find solutions to their problems. Yahoo answers is a forum to provide answers to problems faced by people who ask solutions to their problems. In the answers you can provide link to the relevant articles.

6. Pinterest - Pinterest is a relatively new tool, used by people to share pictures.  If your article has interesting pictures, share it in Pinterest and many users may come to your blog by clicking on the pictures.

7. Twitter - Twitter can be used to tweet about your idea or article in 140 characters or less. All your tweets can be viewed by your followers who can re-tweet them or visit your article.

8. Local Listings - Many shops and public institutions have boards where you can put up a description and usefulness of your blog.  (Note - create small tear-able areas on the paper containing the url.  People can tear off these pieces and visit the blog at home).

9. Visiting Card - Create visiting cards and hand over to any new person you meet.  While handing over the card you will also have the opportunity to speak about your blog.  You can get cheap visiting cards at Vistaprint.com.

10. Guest Blogging - You can rapidly build traffic to your site with guest blogging. You can get guest blogging opportunities easily at myblogguest.com.

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