Little Steps that Conquer Mountains

Hiking has been one of the outdoor activities I always get excited about. I would climb up a mountain, great or small, whenever I would have the chance.

At Mount Palikot Aso

More than finding myself an adventure, climbing mountains gives me a new perspective on valuable lessons about life I have learned growing up.

At some point in our lives, there are dreams to reach, goals to aim for, and ambitions to accomplish. As I was sitting in a room with a perfect view of the mountains surrounding Bontoc Ili, Mountain Province, I almost instantly fell in love with the idea of setting my foot at their peaks. It is indeed in my human nature to love being on the mountaintops. Fortunately, climbing up a mountain doesn’t have to be just a dream. You just have to go to the mountain and do it.

Scenery at Balay Habi

Dreams, however big or small, are just like mountains waiting for an adventurer to come and take the first step to achieve them. There are many dreamers staring at their dream while supposing their wonders. But only a few among them become self-starters.

Braving the first step, achievers learn that it will not bring them to the top instantly, but it is a step closer to the goal. Hence, reaching for the “dream goals” takes patience and hard work. There will be quitters along the way. Some even invented their own shortcuts, but none lasted long. How far can you go?

The higher you get in climbing the mountain, the harder each step becomes. Your body gets heavy and your feet start to shake. You began to slow down. You would beg for a moment to pause just to catch your breath. At times, you will find yourself having difficulty even with small steps. It would make you feel like the trail has no end and the strain would go on and on.

These steps reminded me that each phase in life has its own time. Success comes not by chance, nor is it dictated. It happens along the way as you patiently overcome the succession of challenges. Things get messy and out of hand when they are rushed. They are intended to be completed according to their design. Taking big steps is not always necessary, but when the time is right you will be ready for it.

When difficulty strikes it is never a shame to take things slow, nor a coward thing to give yourself a total break from life’s disarrays. It’s part of the journey. In your downtimes is actually when you get the chance to see the little things you failed to appreciate when you were very busy creating your achievements. However, it’s important not to be too comfortable sitting down when the trail is not yet over. No matter how real the struggle is, you must pick yourself up and continue on.

All these are the bits and pieces in the series of steps towards conquering your mountain. One little step at a time and you will eventually reach the summit of success. I was near exhausted when I took the last few steps to the peak of Mount Palikot Aso, but the view of God’s creation from the top of the mountain was truly invigorating and it never failed to amaze me. It’s worth all the hard work. 

Success in life is best enjoyed when God is acknowledged. Our success should be exalting God for His grace and power that enabled us to conquer mountains.

View of Bontoc from Mount Palikot Aso