Research has shown that we don't do the things we want to do oftentimes because we're too afraid to try. Why are we humans so afraid? It's one thing to be afraid of something that's obviously dangerous. Such fear has kept me from handling snakes, skydiving, or surfing Waimea Bay. But that's not the kind of fear I'm talking about. I'm talking about a kind of perceived fear that ties us down and keeps us from living our best life. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I believe for most of us this is the fear of failure. We're so afraid of falling short of a goal that it paralyzes us. What we can't forget is that progress in life is made by taking reasonable risks. That's how my grandson Reuben is currently teaching himself how to walk. Part of that process is falling down and then getting right back up again. After all, who wants to be stuck in their baby stroller forever?
So today I bit the bullet, faced the music, took the bull by the horns, crossed the Rubicon, lept into the breach, paid the piper, took my medicine, and swallowed the pill. That's right. I bought my plane tickets for Zermatt, putting my money where my mouth is. I've always found that after you pay the entry fee for a marathon you are far more likely to show up on race day than if you put that off. Today I also booked my hotel in Zermatt. I used this place on my last visit and it was both cozy and affordable. It's the Hotel Bahnhof, so-named because of its proximity to the local railway station.
From there you can walk anywhere in Zermatt, including to the local tramways that take you in every direction. (Everyone walks in Zermatt. The town is car-free.)
Mein Ziel? (Sorry. Back to English.) My goal? As everyone knows who's been following this blog of late, it's a local mountain called the Riffelhorn. It's not the hardest peak to climb in the Alps but it will surely give me a run for my money.
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| I think that's why they call it mountain "climbing." |
Here we are looking down at the famous Gorner Glacier from the base of the Riffelhorn. Gorgeous.
Zermatt has always been my number 1 resort for spectacular scenery. It's pretty hard to beat. Because Zermatt in mid- to-late June can still have snow in some parts, I've planned on being there the first week of August. And guess what? RDU now has a direct flight to Frankfurt, where I'll catch a quick flight to Geneva and from there travel by train to the Bahnhof in Zermatt.
Obviously, there's no guarantee I'll be able to summit this peak. But the fact is, most people who attempt the climb finish it. I won't attempt it without my guide, of course, counting on him to talk me into making the one last grunt to the top. Here's the thing. He could just as easily turn me around. So why do it? Because in life you have to keep living, and sometimes that means doing things even when your knees tremble and you say to yourself, "Not sure if I can do this." That's when life really happens. I keep telling myself that I have to relinquish all doubt. At the same time, I know that I need to be consistent in my training before I get there. True, I might not succeed. But it won't be because I didn't train.
Other than surfing Pipeline and Pupukea, climbing the Alps has been the most exhilarating, thrilling, and exciting thing I've ever done. My advice? If there's something challenging that you really want to do, do it. I promise you it will make your life richer. "The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing" (Leo Buscaglia).