Conquer Yourself

"You don't conquer the mountain.  You conquer yourself.  You are the variable."  ~Steele

"You are the variable. Great quote from a man who conquered North America's highest peak.

Still reflecting on this... for me: the mountain resembles marriage/life/whatever you feel is a challenge. Terrain, environment, weather, altitude... and you and your partner are climbing this mountain... you need a rope and you need to keep adjusting. There will be bad days, but also good. Stay tethered to one another and continue to adjust. The second you untether yourself you not only risk yourself, but your partner. Third.. if you're not married and the prior sentence doesn't apply as much.. you still need partners.. i.e. community.

Something I can't get out of my head is a story they told of a blood stained trail of others who were also climbing the mountain. Altitude sickness caused others to cough blood. But Steele (the climber) and his partner stated that their strategy was to camp high and sleep low.. meaning, they hiked up a ways, camped high, then skied down lower to sleep - allowing their bodies time to adjust. Sometimes you have to step back, slow down and take time to adjust.

How often are you plowing through unaware that you've become untethered? Are you coughing blood and lost?"

~Renée Wong Mytar