Hiking Story: After talking about how this would be a good adventure I felt really pumped. When the ferry dropped us off on one end of the island I jumped off in excitement ready to begin the hike. Even though I was going on this hike by myself, there were other people who I met on the ferry going on the same trail so I was not so afraid. The first few kilometres were just dense bush
es and I soon felt despondent. I said to myself, “I have been walking for a while now and all I see is just dense bushes…how boring.” A few metres from when I said this I came up to a beautiful sandy beach. It was a hot day and I was sweating like a pig. I decided to take a break and swim in the water. It felt so good and I thought to myself “I could just stay here and swim all day long. Who needs a hike when you can spend a day at the beach?” Then a higher thought said “come on just finish the hike” so I left the cool waters and went back on the trail. It became steeper and steeper but after I went round a bend I came to a very beautiful spot and I thought “WOW this is what I came here for, what an amazing view.” I got energized and kept going. I was still checking my surroundings very carefully to make sure nothing came out of the bushes to bite me.
After this I came to something like a valley and I went through it and came up to an even higher spot and the scenery from there was even more spectacular. It seemed every time there was a hilltop, I had to go through some sort of valley to get to it. After walking for a while I saw these two men who had been on the ferry with me taking a break at a rest spot a few metres ahead. I was catching up to them. I also took a break at that same spot taking in all the natural beauty around me. I then told myself that since I was afraid of snakes, I would just rest here a little while longer and let these men go ahead of
me. This is how I pictured it in my head: If a snake came out of the bushes, it would bite them first, they would scream, I would hear it and then I would run for my life in the other direction. Perfect plan! So a few minutes after the men left the resting spot I started off on the trail again. It became even steeper but I kept up with it. When I came to the top of the hill I found those men taking another break. Then I thought “Oh no! Now I have to pass them and lead the way.” Something just told me, “C’mon you can do it.” So I went past them and soon after I came round to another view point and the scenery was breathtaking. I just stood there and appreciated Mother Nature. Then I went on the rest of the way. I met some fishermen who encouraged me to keep going and told me that I was close to the other end of the island. Many minutes later I arrived at the other side of the island. I had made it! I felt so good. I was happy I went on the hike. AND I did not see any snakes along the way. While I was waiting for the ferry to get back to Hong Kong I thought to myself, “This is surely how it must be like to chase a dream.” There are ups and downs, valleys and hilltops, dense bushes and beautiful sandy beaches that you will have to go through if you want to achieve your dreams. Let’s take a look at the illustration below.
Fear of snakes: I had never gone on a hike because I had a fear of what may attack me while I was out in the bushes. Many people have a dream but they are so overtaken by fear that the thought of just stepping into their dreams cripples them and they never try. A lot of people just consider that their fears will come true and so they feel too powerless to even make an effort. They give up before they even begin. Do not let fear cripple you. Accept that you are afraid and look fear in the eye and tell yourself I am afraid but I will give it a try.
Dense Bushes
: Many of us start out really excited and we get on with it, but after we have been working for a while and not really getting any returns we think to ourselves “Oh it is just dense bushes and nothing will come of it.” Then we stop here and go back and never have our dreams realized. It is hard work to make dreams come true and for a while after you have started you may not see any real returns. It does not mean that it will never happen, you just have to keep going and not give up because not long after that you will get to the…
Beautiful sandy beach: Some will continue and get past the dense bushes and they will come to the beach. Here they will rest and play in the water. They will be so happy here that they ditch the rest of the hike and spend the rest of their time enjoying what the beach offers. When you get to the ‘sandy beach’ enjoy it for you deserve it. Take a break. Take time to look at what you have achieved but do not stop here forever. There is more in store for you and if you never challenge yourself to go further, you cannot see the entirety of your dreams realised.
Hilltops: Those who will get back on the trail will see even better views. However, to get to the hilltops they will go through the valleys. The higher the hilltop, the deeper the valley. Sometimes I wish life would be simpler, but there is so much at stake when you take risks. The constant fear of whether things will work out really does take a toll on most
people and the more risks you take to achieve your goals, the tougher the road is. The great news is that if you make it through the valley, you will certainly see great rewards for your hard work. The time in the valley will be difficult because sometimes you cannot even see the hilltop you are trying to get to. You are just surrounded by more and more of the valley. Keep climbing up to the top, don’t lose heart, don’t give up, you can make it and you will be so much better for it. Also remember to enjoy where you are while you are waiting to get where you are going. Even in the valley, find things you can enjoy for the time we really truly have is now.
Rest: When you come to a rest and meet up with people who you never thought you would catch up to fear may take you over. I mean let’s face it; you cannot believe you have caught up to the ‘big dogs’ who you admired before. I had so little faith in myself that I was surprised that I had actually caught up to the people who went ahead of me. Don’t rule yourself out so easily. Do not sell yourself short. You too are capable of doing great things. Do not be afraid to take the lead because you have fear of the unknown. You cannot measure your scorecard according to other people’s scorecards because you do not know what it is they are facing on their journey. Instead of taking the lead you maybe so afraid that you decide to slow your own progress so that others may go before you. Take charge and go ahead you can do it.
Cheerers along the
way: You will be surprised how much encouragement there is around. Have you ever wondered how when you are facing a particular challenge, there is always someone that you either know very well or a stranger who will speak words of encouragement into your life. When you are feeling weary, read inspirational stories, books, and blogs of people who have made it before and take note of how they kept going in the face of challenges. Also, share your story with others; you never know who you will encourage. When you sow encouragement you too will reap encouragement. Everyone is trying to be the best they can be, it helps a lot if along the way you meet people who will cheer you on.
When you are done and you look back and see how far you have come, you will be surprised to see that you did not meet any ‘snakes’ along the way. Your worst fear did not happen because you faced it and it shrunk back to where it belongs. Instead you went from strength to strength seeing breakthrough after breakthrough until victory was won. I hope this will encourage you whatever stage you are at the moment to keep going on.
Be blessed,
with love…tafie
es and I soon felt despondent. I said to myself, “I have been walking for a while now and all I see is just dense bushes…how boring.” A few metres from when I said this I came up to a beautiful sandy beach. It was a hot day and I was sweating like a pig. I decided to take a break and swim in the water. It felt so good and I thought to myself “I could just stay here and swim all day long. Who needs a hike when you can spend a day at the beach?” Then a higher thought said “come on just finish the hike” so I left the cool waters and went back on the trail. It became steeper and steeper but after I went round a bend I came to a very beautiful spot and I thought “WOW this is what I came here for, what an amazing view.” I got energized and kept going. I was still checking my surroundings very carefully to make sure nothing came out of the bushes to bite me.After this I came to something like a valley and I went through it and came up to an even higher spot and the scenery from there was even more spectacular. It seemed every time there was a hilltop, I had to go through some sort of valley to get to it. After walking for a while I saw these two men who had been on the ferry with me taking a break at a rest spot a few metres ahead. I was catching up to them. I also took a break at that same spot taking in all the natural beauty around me. I then told myself that since I was afraid of snakes, I would just rest here a little while longer and let these men go ahead of
me. This is how I pictured it in my head: If a snake came out of the bushes, it would bite them first, they would scream, I would hear it and then I would run for my life in the other direction. Perfect plan! So a few minutes after the men left the resting spot I started off on the trail again. It became even steeper but I kept up with it. When I came to the top of the hill I found those men taking another break. Then I thought “Oh no! Now I have to pass them and lead the way.” Something just told me, “C’mon you can do it.” So I went past them and soon after I came round to another view point and the scenery was breathtaking. I just stood there and appreciated Mother Nature. Then I went on the rest of the way. I met some fishermen who encouraged me to keep going and told me that I was close to the other end of the island. Many minutes later I arrived at the other side of the island. I had made it! I felt so good. I was happy I went on the hike. AND I did not see any snakes along the way. While I was waiting for the ferry to get back to Hong Kong I thought to myself, “This is surely how it must be like to chase a dream.” There are ups and downs, valleys and hilltops, dense bushes and beautiful sandy beaches that you will have to go through if you want to achieve your dreams. Let’s take a look at the illustration below.Fear of snakes: I had never gone on a hike because I had a fear of what may attack me while I was out in the bushes. Many people have a dream but they are so overtaken by fear that the thought of just stepping into their dreams cripples them and they never try. A lot of people just consider that their fears will come true and so they feel too powerless to even make an effort. They give up before they even begin. Do not let fear cripple you. Accept that you are afraid and look fear in the eye and tell yourself I am afraid but I will give it a try.
Dense Bushes
: Many of us start out really excited and we get on with it, but after we have been working for a while and not really getting any returns we think to ourselves “Oh it is just dense bushes and nothing will come of it.” Then we stop here and go back and never have our dreams realized. It is hard work to make dreams come true and for a while after you have started you may not see any real returns. It does not mean that it will never happen, you just have to keep going and not give up because not long after that you will get to the…Beautiful sandy beach: Some will continue and get past the dense bushes and they will come to the beach. Here they will rest and play in the water. They will be so happy here that they ditch the rest of the hike and spend the rest of their time enjoying what the beach offers. When you get to the ‘sandy beach’ enjoy it for you deserve it. Take a break. Take time to look at what you have achieved but do not stop here forever. There is more in store for you and if you never challenge yourself to go further, you cannot see the entirety of your dreams realised.
Hilltops: Those who will get back on the trail will see even better views. However, to get to the hilltops they will go through the valleys. The higher the hilltop, the deeper the valley. Sometimes I wish life would be simpler, but there is so much at stake when you take risks. The constant fear of whether things will work out really does take a toll on most
people and the more risks you take to achieve your goals, the tougher the road is. The great news is that if you make it through the valley, you will certainly see great rewards for your hard work. The time in the valley will be difficult because sometimes you cannot even see the hilltop you are trying to get to. You are just surrounded by more and more of the valley. Keep climbing up to the top, don’t lose heart, don’t give up, you can make it and you will be so much better for it. Also remember to enjoy where you are while you are waiting to get where you are going. Even in the valley, find things you can enjoy for the time we really truly have is now.Rest: When you come to a rest and meet up with people who you never thought you would catch up to fear may take you over. I mean let’s face it; you cannot believe you have caught up to the ‘big dogs’ who you admired before. I had so little faith in myself that I was surprised that I had actually caught up to the people who went ahead of me. Don’t rule yourself out so easily. Do not sell yourself short. You too are capable of doing great things. Do not be afraid to take the lead because you have fear of the unknown. You cannot measure your scorecard according to other people’s scorecards because you do not know what it is they are facing on their journey. Instead of taking the lead you maybe so afraid that you decide to slow your own progress so that others may go before you. Take charge and go ahead you can do it.
Cheerers along the
way: You will be surprised how much encouragement there is around. Have you ever wondered how when you are facing a particular challenge, there is always someone that you either know very well or a stranger who will speak words of encouragement into your life. When you are feeling weary, read inspirational stories, books, and blogs of people who have made it before and take note of how they kept going in the face of challenges. Also, share your story with others; you never know who you will encourage. When you sow encouragement you too will reap encouragement. Everyone is trying to be the best they can be, it helps a lot if along the way you meet people who will cheer you on.When you are done and you look back and see how far you have come, you will be surprised to see that you did not meet any ‘snakes’ along the way. Your worst fear did not happen because you faced it and it shrunk back to where it belongs. Instead you went from strength to strength seeing breakthrough after breakthrough until victory was won. I hope this will encourage you whatever stage you are at the moment to keep going on.
Be blessed,
with love…tafie
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