Mastering the mountain

Chapter 321

“Remember when you see a man at the top of a mountain, he didn't fall there." ~ Anonymous

No he climbed scratched clawed worked sweated labored planned executed followed through finished completed successed himself to the top of that mountain. Or herself. Or yourself. Those who have reached a pinnacle know what it takes to get there. These are not unicorn experiences, where you just fall down and find yourself on the top mountain.

Of course “the mountain” can be anything. My dad always said, “when you see someone who makes a job look easy, a master is at work.” I have verified this statement many times in life, by trying to copy “the master” and finding out myself how very difficult that easy job is to do. Another Earl saying, “Everything is more difficult than it appears” reveals that each tiny job and responsibility in life has its own hidden mountain inside. Everything is more difficult than it appears, but as you do it over and over and apply yourself to learning and accomplishment, it will, and does, become more easy. If you stay at it long enough you may even become a master of that mountain.

I am constantly learning, and that is a great thing, but it mostly shows me just how little I know about a given area of expertise. It keeps my humility level very high, but I haven’t become a master at very many things, because of all that stuff in the first sentence. Few people become a master in multiple fields. But know this, you can become a master. You will know great pain and joy as you make this journey, but you already know, masters don’t fall on top of the mountain.