One Step at a Time

This week-end I hiked to the top of Pikes Peak with 2 friends from school and one of our professors to raise money for the Brain Injury Association of Colorado. We trained for the hike all summer and the fact that climbing a really big mountain is a great metaphor for graduate school wasn't lost on any of us. Here's what the hike taught me:

- Adequate preparation before you begin is useful (e.g., having the right equipment, knowing at least a little bit about what you are getting yourself into)

- The path can be really steep at first, but eventually it levels off a bit

- There are often many different routes you can take to get to the top

- You never know what is around the next corner and there may be many obstacles blocking your path along the way

- Having others with you on the journey makes the whole adventure more fun

- There will always be others who are climbing more slowly and more quickly than you, so it's helpful to focus on going your own pace

- It's easy to get bogged down by what is right in front of you and lose sight of the reasons for why you are climbing

- Finally, it takes a lot of determination and persistence to reach the summit, and the only way to get there is to take it one step at a time.