PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Adversity (/sections/adversity)

How I Overcame the Mountains of My Mind

Marcus Leach (/profile/marcus-leach)

October 14, 2016

As I stand in base camp with snow gently falling, I focus on my breathing and look at the sky to the
distant summit of the mountain. A line of black dots snake their way up the face of the steep path that
rises out of camp and stretches high into the distance before disappearing around a corner. I wonder
how I will ever make it to the topa seemingly impossible distance away. There is a sense of familiarity
about the whole situation: the old shipping containers that serve as bunk houses at base camp; the
creaking, rickety ski lift that has seen better days; and the harsh cold wind that blows a fresh blanket of
snow over the scene in front of me. Ive been here before; I attempted to climb this mountain last year,
only I wasnt successful.
I failed.
Related:21 Quotes About Failing Fearlessly (http://www.success.com/article/21-quotes-aboutfailing-fearlessly)

I returned to Russia with a clear objective: to finish what I started the year before and successfully
summit the highest mountain in Europe. Mount Elbrus, a dormant volcano tucked away in a quiet
southwestern corner of Russia, dominates the western reaches of the Caucasus Mountains at a height
of 5,642 meters. My past failing left its scar in the shape of self-doubt
(http://www.success.com/blog/fake-it-and-5-other-ways-to-conquer-self-doubt) and unanswered
questions of my ability to achieve this goal. Now the mountains of my mind begin to look as daunting
as the craggy, snow-capped peaks that loom over me. What started as quiet whispers of uncertainty
have gradually increased in volume the closer I come to attempting my second summit attempt. Now
they are full-blown cries of doubt.
But I take comfort in knowing that I failed last time, albeit partly due to events out of my control. For all
of our successes in life, I believe its our defeats and setbacks that teach us the most
(http://www.success.com/blog/8-ways-successful-people-overcome-setbacks). I would have preferred
not to have failed, but in doing so, I learned more about myself than from any of my successes. From
the moment I reset the goal, a little voice has asked me the same question: Are you good enough to do
it this time? That voice forced me to look within, challenged me to grow as an individual in all areas of
my life, but especially in developing a stronger mindset.
We often think of mental toughness (http://www.success.com/article/15-qualities-of-mentally-toughpeople) in relation to how we react to extreme situationsour ability to bounce back after going
bankrupt, the resilience to try again after another failed business idea or holding our life together while
grieving the loss of a family member. Theres no doubting these situations will test our courage and
perseverance, but the mental toughness we need to get through them is forged on a daily basis. Its
about pushing ourselves in a thousand small ways to ensure that when the time comes, we have the
ability to cope with the large obstacles.
Related: 4 Ways to Turn Obstacles Into Opportunities (http://www.success.com/article/4-waysto-turn-obstacles-into-opportunities)
When I decided to embrace a life of challenges, I did so knowing I would need to develop myself
physically, but, more importantly, I would need to develop and nurture a mindset that enables me to
overcome even the greatest of challenges (http://www.success.com/blog/5-learnable-mindsets-ofhighly-successful-people). I needed to build my belief that I could achieve significant success. The
same applies to building a business; we need to expand our mindset and belief in our own ability in
order to achieve our greatest goals. The mind is the limitthe only thing standing between us and
where we want to be in life is our belief in our own ability. Once we understand that, we can focus on
developing a mindset that enables us to look at any situation in a positive state of mind
(http://www.success.com/blog/how-to-positively-think-your-way-to-success), knowing that there might
be challenges along the way, but knowing, too, that nothing can prevent us from achieving our goals.

COURTESY OF MARCUS LEACH

It starts with our internal dialogue. Of all the conversations we engage in on a daily basis, the most
important are the ones we have with ourselves. When left unchecked, they have the ability to extinguish
any seeds of hope we might have in achieving our goals because our actions are inspired by our
thoughts. Self-talk can quickly lead us to entertain thoughts of self-doubt, allowing past experiences
and limiting beliefs (http://www.success.com/article/doubtbusters-erase-self-limiting-beliefs) to
determine what we believe to be possible.
If we tell ourselves something enough timespositive or negativeeventually we start believing it. In
telling ourselves that we cant do something, we start to create a mental block, and instead of our
minds seeking solutions to situations and challenges, we can only focus on reasons why we cant do it.
We begin to create mountains of the mind that seem unconquerable. To develop the positivity of our
internal dialogue (http://www.success.com/article/7-practical-tips-to-achieve-a-positive-mindset), we
need to increase our levels of awareness and we need to actively monitor the voice in our head. By
guarding our thoughts, we start to develop a strengthened state of mind that builds us up, that gives us
the belief we can achieve anything, that leads to a life of success.
Related: How to Overcome Your Can't-Do Attitude (http://www.success.com/article/how-toovercome-your-cant-do-attitude)
The level of doubt we might have in our ability can increase significantly the closer we come to
attempting the task at handas was the case when I stood at base camp with two vertical kilometers
of climbing looming between me and the summit. But not only had I fortified my mind, constantly telling

myself that I can overcome the mountain, I had visualized the act of achieving my goal over and again
before it had even happened. I had created a detailed mental image of the exact moment I would set
foot on the summit, I imagined how I would feel, what emotions I would experience, every last little
detail, and then I played the scene out in my mind every day. I was telling my subconscious that I was
going to succeed, and that built my belief and confidence (http://www.success.com/blog/7-mentalhacks-to-be-more-confident-in-yourself).
To achieve positive outcomes, we need to embrace failure; we need to let it drive us toward success
rather than limit it. The more open we are to failure, the greater our potential is for improvement.
Mistakes and failures are an essential element in our development, so we should view them as part of
our life training. Fear of failing holds us back, which results in us developing risk aversion, whereby we
are safely ensconced in our comfort zones for the rest of our lives (http://www.success.com/blog/whyyour-comfort-zone-is-the-most-dangerous-place-to-live). In adopting this playing it safe mentality, we
never grow and thus never reach our full potential. I sometimes think about what would have happened
had I let the fear of failing a second time stop me from going back to Russia.
Even in the moment, there was an element of fear, and not just of failing but of the climb itself. Seven
hours after leaving base camp, having climbed through the night, in my mind we had overcome the
hardest part of the mountain. I couldnt have been more wrong, because what followed was a torturous
two hours battling seemingly vertical slopes and treacherous sections of icy rocks. The higher we
climbed, the worse conditions became, and as we finally neared the summit, a storm was upon us.
Forty mph winds and nearly zero visibility from the snow that swirled in the air reduced our progress to
a crawl. All the while that little voice asking the same question as it had done for the past year: Are you
good enough to do it this time?
For all of the visualization, I never for one moment imagined we would be battling such extreme
conditions to reach the pinnacle of the mountain. Stretched to my mental and physical limit, those final
steps were filled with an almighty sense of achievement, not just because of the act of reaching the
summit itself, but because of all I had endured along the way. The greatest mountains we must
conquer are those within our minds. And once we do, there is no limit to what we can achieve in life
(http://www.success.com/article/10-tips-to-achieve-anything-you-want-in-life) or in business.
Related: 5 Ways the Power of I Can Changes You (http://www.success.com/article/5-ways-thepower-of-i-can-changes-you)