Lessons from Climbing Sugarloaf Mountain: Resilience and Reflection

A couple of weekends ago, I went to Sugarloaf Mountain in County Wicklow. I took my two kids along. We started our adventure at nine o’clock on a Saturday morning.

Now I know there’s nothing particularly special about that. It’s just an average mountain. It’s not like we were climbing Mount Everest.

When we started at the foot of the mountain, we doubted ourselves. We didn’t think reaching the top would be possible. Even though we’re definitely not seasoned climbers or even ramblers for that matter, we decided to just see how far we could get.

If you know Sugarloaf Mountain, you’ll know that the early part is actually quite easy but as we got about halfway up, it became a little more difficult and we had to take a few more resting breaks than we had before, but at least it gave us time to take in the amazing scenery.

The last bit was a lot more difficult as it became nearly a vertical climb of just rocks and rubble, and there were times we didn’t think we were going to make it at all.

At times we were planning on giving up and just heading back down – but eventually, we made it. We got to the very top and all I can say is that the view was unbelievable. It was just amazing, and you could see for miles. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a place so peaceful and where all the efforts were so worth it.

Reaching the summit: When the journey feels tough, the view from the top makes every step worth it.

Apart from getting time to think and being able to see the bigger picture, it was a time for reflection as to what we had just accomplished, and what we would do next.

Now I’m not just telling you about this experience as a mountain climb with my kids, but when I got to the top of the mountain I could see so many correlations to business. Sometimes we have to put things into perspective.

Sometimes, we need to change our direction. Other times, we need to pause and reflect on what we’ve accomplished. By doing this, it makes it easier to focus on our end goal and see what we need to do with our own business and what opportunities lie in front of us. At times, we might feel like giving up.

However, when we push through obstacles or find a way around them, the reward is worth it. In the end, we often forget the pain and struggle it took to get there.

Keep going, and ask for help if you need to.