What is the hardest most challenging thing you have had to endure? I have been able to ask this question to many people around me recently. Many of the responses I have gotten have been surprising and also underwhelming.
I think I first started thinking about this topic while hiking a lot more in the mountains. One circumstance, in particular, I was on my way up Bells Canyon (which is just south of Little Cottonwood Canyon, in the Wasatch Mountains).
I was trying to get to Lone Peak which is a quite difficult place to get to from Bells Canyon. I made my way past the first reservoir and the waterfalls, which most people hike too. I made my way all the way up to the second reservoir, which is a very pretty place to go see. I made my way deep up the backside of the farthest Bowl just below Lone Peak and was enjoying all the new scenery and the joys of exploration.
The main problem with my journey is, I had started later in the afternoon. The sun was reaching near evening while I was on my way up to the peak. I was very close and yet time-wise, I still had a ways to go. The last part of this route is probably the most difficult with lots of rocks and slow-moving hiking. I had dropped my phone moments before and had smashed the screen. So I was a little more hesitant to be on the mountain in the dark. With Darkness coming I decided to turn around early. I was very close to my goal.
On my way down. I thought about how I felt like a failure. But trying to wrap my head around it. I started to think about what it means to go through a challenge. This was a physical challenge both because of the difficulty of the journey and in my failure to reach my destination.
But Had I really failed? I could always try the challenge later, and I had at least enjoyed the journey. Could I have learned anything from this failure?
Even though challenging in the moment, hiking and physical exertion for me is not the hardest things I have had to deal with in my life. I have been suffering from depression for a few years now. I intend to write a bit about this in the future... (Ill link a future blog post)
There are many things that make a challenge what it is. Many challenges pop up in our lives in different ways. Take for example the different Dimensions of Wellness. Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social, Spiritual.
One way to classify a challenge is whether it was self-induced or placed upon you. The hiking experience for me was of my own choosing, but in the case of my mental depression, I did not choose to have it. Depending on the type of challenge there are always different ways to go about getting passed it. I will probably continue to hike and do physical challenges, and by failing a few different ways I have learned how to make better decisions to help me through my own self-prescribed challenges. By failing in challenges that are placed upon me I can also learn how to make better decisions moving forward in them. Overall we learn to overcome.
One thing I remember writing in my journal as a youth is that "We are the sum of our experiences." I thought this was pretty profound when I was 18 years old. But it's pretty true. We are the sum of our challenges, those failed, those beaten, and those being ridden through.
Another way to classify challenge is whether it is long term and short term. A short term challenge I would argue it is easier to enjoy the journey because the reward is received sooner. Long term challenges may take place over weeks or years and therefore are harder to see a reward. With the long term, it's more difficult to keep focus and perspective compared to short. Often times the journey is the reward no matter the length of the challenge.
It has been interesting to ask other people about their challenges. Some of the responses have specifically dealt with depression, school, workloads, family matters, physical limitations and challenges with death. There are a variety of differences out there. I think it is interesting to ask this to people of varying ages. Some young people I have asked, just haven't had enough experiences and therefore their challenges are underwhelming. Older people have had time to move past many challenges and through many journeys. No matter the age there are always challenges.
What have been some of your hardest challenges? What made it hard?
What challenges are you currently dealing with and what are you doing to get through it.
