When I was about 16, I went on an overnight hike with some of my friends and their Dads. In the beginning, I didn’t want to go, because it seemed like it was way too hard. I wasn’t really in the best shape for backpacking that long of a distance and, besides that, my Dad couldn’t even go. I didn’t want to do it, in fact, I tried every excuse in the book trying to talk my parents into thinking it was a bad idea for me to go. Somehow, they convinced me it would be okay, and I packed up my things the night before. When we got there, everyone seemed to be so excited about the hike, everybody but me that is. I glumly crawled out of the car, put my pack on my back and headed up the trail with the rest of the company.
The trail wasn’t easy for me, in fact, I just wanted to stop and not reach the top. I could survive out there all by myself, right? For a moment, I didn’t care what happened to me. My feet hurt, my back felt like it was burning, and my sides felt like they were going to rip right open with pain. Yet, I kept climbing. By the time we reached the lower lake it was almost time for dinner, we had been hiking for hours and all I wanted to do was set up my tent, crawl inside, and take a long long nap. One problem, much to my dismay, my tent poles were nowhere to be found. Could this be? As you could guess, the night went on at about that same rate, concluding with most of the girls feeling sick to their stomachs.
The next day, I actually took the time to look around me; everything was so beautiful, I was sorry that I hadn’t taken the time to notice before. On the way back down, I couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful scenery that I had hated the day before.
The point I’m trying to make is that had I taken the time to enjoy the journey, the hike would have gone so much faster. I hope that if you’re starting your own business that you’re taking the time to enjoy it and that you’re excited to see the end result. If you’re not excited about it, the journey could be dull, painful, and take a long time. However, if you go into business with the right attitude, it could end up being another healthy adventure.
