Shocking Truth About Digging Deep to Redefine Success

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shocking Truth About Digging Deep to Redefine Success

Last week we left off asking this question “What was a woman over 50 with no hiking experience doing out in these woods”? (tweet this) Before you continue reading this article it will be best if you have read or reread that article, click here.

Today I’ll share the rest of the story about the shocking truth about digging deep to redefine success after 50. Hold on because the ending may just surprise you.

Are we there yet?

We made it to the first of two lookouts to view the falls and just in time for a lunch break. The view was spectacular and thank goodness it was worth the effort it took to hike into the remote location.

Now I would learn that I had packed the wrong kind of food for strenuous outdoor activity. After eating my protein bar, drinking a bottle of water my stomach was still begging for more. Shocking Truth About Digging Deep to Redefine SuccessThank goodness for friends who have the experience needed to not only prepare for their needs but those of others traveling with them. 

A crisp apple packed full of juicy nutrition was just what the doctor ordered. Extra hydration helped quench my thirst and cool my overheated body. Saltine crackers replaced the salt I had sweated out…my hair was soaked and my neck was caked with salt like the dried-up shores of the Great Salt Lake. Trail mix added sweet treats with salty nuts to build up the energy we were going to need for the return trip…oh, we have to go back?

Dig deep or you can’t go home

After clicking pictures of the surrounding area, the beautiful Feather Falls, and the canyon welcoming the cascading water far below we climbed the steps back to the trail to meet up with our friends and head back to the car.

Shocking Truth About Digging Deep to Redefine Success         Shocking Truth About Digging Deep to Redefine Success  Shocking Truth About Digging Deep to Redefine SuccessShocking Truth About Digging Deep to Redefine Success

 

 

 

 

This half of the hike was going to be the determining factor of my inner strength, my perseverance. I’ve done many things in my life from healing from the loss of my first husband to being fired from a job that I loathed. Bootstrapping my way back in almost every unimaginable situation in business has NEVER tested my inner fortitude or perseverance the way this hike did on that Saturday afternoon.

With every step, I took my muscles cried out. The searing burn was something I hadn’t felt but once in my entire life and one that I hope I never experience again. My arms ached from pulling myself up the trail using the walking stick to take the pressure off of my knee that was killing me and my calves that were on fire.

At one point I told my friend this hike was like giving birth to a baby. Girls, you remember how it was…you got to a certain point in delivery and you were exhausted you thought you couldn’t go another moment, you didn’t have one more push in you, you simply wanted it to be over, the baby just to appear, and the pain to stop. That is exactly how I felt. I wanted to lie down. Encouraging my friends to go on without me I wanted to simply just quit.

My dear friends refused to allow me to quit. Their constant empathy and encouragement helped me to dig deep. Even though I stopped to rest every ¼ mile or so I finally made it back to the parking lot and the comfort of our car. Inside I cried as my friends clapped and cheered for me; I had endured and finished the race. My perseverance paid off big time as finishing the hike was a sweet accomplishment.

Endurance to the Summit of Success After 50 (tweet this)

Even though I bit off more than I could chew I had no choice. I had to finish what I had started; no one else could do it for me. That Saturday is a day I will always remember, the lesson I learned was double-fold: I don’t always have to be right, others love and care about me and see my weaknesses as well as my strengths. Hubby only wanted to protect me not keep me from having fun.

The second lesson I learned was that transitioning from a corporate job to working at home is a lot like this hike was. Most women over 50 come home to work totally unprepared having no idea how to schedule their time, ward off family who thinks you are there because you are home and how to leave the office when it’s hubby time.

Many men and women who work from home lose when it comes to enduring tough times. Yes, there are even tough times when you work from home…it’s business after all. I remember the first year in my auto transport business when phone calls were nonstop, work began at 5 A.M. and stopped at midnight…I wondered what had I done, what did I create! It took digging deep to endure all the cycles of working from home it didn’t just happen.

So, no matter what you do in life remember to do your research, Shocking Truth About Digging Deep to Redefine Successprepare yourself for the adventure in front of you, be ready and willing to dig deep, endure the journey (tweet this) and be able to check and adjust as you go. Most importantly, enjoy the hike with those on the trail with you…they love and respect YOU…you are worth every mile.

 

 

What did you learn from my life’s lesson? Share your comment below.