All my blog posts for the last month have built up to this moment. If you’ve been following the posts so far, I’ve taken you on a journey from neurotic, slightly overworked entrepreneur to feeling calm and centered mid-way through my vacation…to being tested moments before flying to Tanzania …to liberating my spirit while meeting the beautiful children at the orphanage.

---

I had gotten clear on why I wanted to climb Kilimanjaro – and the moment was now.Here’s where things get a little HARDER…I wish I could give you a blow by blow account of my every step, every day on the side of the mountain. I wish I could re-tell how endless were the steps, how strong was the rain and the cold was a bi*cha and yet we still prevailed.

But what I really remembered from the surreal experience of climbing one of the highest peaks in the world was funny enough–the support, the trust, the love and the laughs that the ENTIRE team experienced throughout.

As I sat on the plane leaving Tanzania after the climb, my mind was still processing and integrating all that had happened. We would never have made it as far up if not for EVERYONE supporting EVERYONE ELSE. It was TEAM that prevailed at the end of the day, TRUST and everyone moving as one, looking out for each other – one step at a time.

So instead of a day-by-day account, I think it’s more useful if I give you 6 of the very best lessons I learnt from the peak:

Lesson #1: Pole Pole

One small step at a time — at your pace. Most people make the mistake of looking around and comparing themselves to what someone else is doing. On the mountain, that’s dangerous because what they can do doesn’t equate to what YOU can do.

Trust yourself, pace yourself and you’ll reach your goal without sacrifcing your health or your life.

Lesson #2: Hakuna Matata (No Problem)

On Day 3, I almost didn’t make it. I was really sick from the altitude and I was falling behind really quickly. Kevin, the mountain leadership team leader, stayed behind together with my friend Yvette to give me a hand. Above us, the skies opened up and it started pouring to add to our woes.

Cold, sick and losing hope — things looked really bad for me. But Kevin kept my spirits up by sharing his personal story which was on cleansing and forgiveness. I shared mine, too and inside I felt something shift. I felt that for the longest time I had been holding on to stuff and now I just had to let go.

Problems were just problemsand in the end, we can do it. We don’t have to hold on to things and trap ourselves inside. I felt reborn and suddenly I felt lighter and cleansed. That day, for all its difficulties, was my favourite day.

Lesson #3: Everyone needs everyone else
As I stood on the highest peak, I asked myself – “Did I do this alone?” Absolutely NOT. I would never ever, in a hundred years, have made it up if not for the love and support of the team I climbed with. The higher you go, the more crazy things get … and if you try to do it alone, you will fail – period.

You need support, encouragement, celebrations to keep going and you can’t do it by yourself. This is why in business we have teams, and at home we have families and friends!

Lesson #4: Surrender to the routine

We all gradually become what our routines and environment makes us.

On the mountain, Blair and the leaders were very clear on what routines were allowed, and what were not. Complaining was absolutely BANNED. Chocolate on summit day would have made us sick and it was banned, too.

We woke at a fixed timing everyday and we had a strict walking routine: 45 mins pacing, 15 mins rest. And Kevin and Kristen, the leaders, kept hammering away, “If you don’t eat, you can’t summit”

Rules, routines – over and over again. Why did they have these rules? Simple. Following these kept us safe. The rules and routines were the CONTEXT that kept us secure. By following them, we protected ourselves from the elements.

Lesson #5: Help Others And You'll Reach The Summit

I realized quickly that if I supported my team mates, things got by easier for me. It was strange but very true. When we focus on helping others to succeed, the time just flies and suddenly you are on the top of the world …and so is the other person! And as I helped the people around me, I found myself on the summit without paying too much attention to “How did i get here???”

 

Lesson #6: You are MORE than what you think you are. Your body can do more than you think it can.

Kevin and Kristen hammered away at this phase throughout the entire journey. I can still hear their voices in my head. It's 100% true. I kept sharing in my earlier posts that I was not a professional mountain climber. I hadn't prepared for years before the climb. But still I made it up with the support of my teammates and the sheer force of will.

It still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I'm sure in the days and weeks to follow, more lessons will pop up in my mind about this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I've been thoroughly enjoying my vacation and reflecting on my close to 2 months of travel. What an experience it has been! I feel absolutely transformed to the degree I can barely recognize the Yana that left at the beginning.

And in conclusion, here are the questions you can ask yourself to apply all that we've spoken about here:

• Am I taking steps forward to my goal everyday or am I constantly in a state of comparing? Be honest with yourself.
• How do I view problems? Do I feel knots in my stomach and a feeling of emotional unresolvedness or do I see them as things I can solve?
• Do I have a team or am I trying to do everything on my own?
• What do my daily routines say about me?
• In my aim for success am I staying constantly in service to others?

I write these questions because at the end of the day, this experience has changed the way I view the world. It's about LIVING these principles and integrating them into every cell in your body.

I want the same for you, which is why I encourage you to REFLECT on these questions and make the changes if you see fit. Do it and you will create a self, a context and an aura STRONG enough to climb one of the highest peaks in the world.

The other things in life will seem EASY compared to that.

Visit Yana Fry Coaching page to find out more about Yana's work.