When were you last challenged and brought outside of your comfort zone that you had to stop and breathe really hard and keep it all together?

I was challenged the other day – we were going on a long hike  Lovely, I thought - out in the fresh air! I love nature and I am fit enough to handle any day-long hike. We set off on a morning that promised good weather: sunshine and not too hot or cold. Just right in our South African autumn!

Good walking shoes, some snacks, drinks, a hat, sunscreen and a definite sense of adventure accompanied us to the car park. The good feeling lasted until after the first water and snack stop.  All of a sudden, the terrain got very rocky and steep.  Real rock climbing manoeuvres were required with no escape routes to go back.  It was up the mountain or come crashing down.  Some footholds were quite slippery and we needed some support, an extra foothold and the dinkum, “leg-up”, was needed to carry on up the mountain.  Once or twice I had to stop, breathe hard and really concentrate on what I was doing.  Those times were enough to make me realize that this was no walk in the park.  I persevered and we eventually got to the top of the mountain. 

What an exhilarating view in the most beautiful setting of mountains all around.  It was breath-taking.  I had to sit down and take it all in.  It was not easy getting to the top, but boy, was it worth the effort. 

I had to admit to myself and to my friend, that this was the first time in a long while, I had been pushed out of my comfort zone.  I had forgotten what a little bit of adrenaline could do: firstly- focus my energy; secondly – stay on track, keep going and don’t give up at the first sign of adversity; thirdly – what a sense of achievement, when a difficult task has been conquered; fourthly – and this was possibly the most important – how long had I lain dormant in my comfort zone?

Tips to take away from my little adventure:

• Keep a goal in sight
• Adjust where it is you are going
• Persevere and keep the aim on your goal
• When at first things don’t turn out as expected, focus and keep going
• You might have to take a different route to get where it is you want to go
• Test yourself and check if your goal is still where you want to go
• Stay focused, be pro-active and keep going
• When you have reached your goal, enjoy it
• Now, analyse where you would like your next goal to take you
• Enjoy your journey