How to Make the Climb of Your Life Easier

When you gaze at your goals from the ground, do they look lofty and unattainable?

I’ve been there, too. We all have mountains to climb. And I’ll never forget the guide who made my climb…easier.

Looking up at the majestic mountain, I stood motionless and transfixed. Why had I decided to climb a mountain—literally? I’m not particularly outdoorsy or athletic. What if I physically can’t endure the climb? What if I fall off the side of the mountain?

The voices of my saboteurs sang in harmony. You know those inside voices that stop us from taking steps toward our summit?

Here’s the reality, I reasoned. I had already fallen off a mountain. When I ignored my health. When I crowded by calendar. When I prioritized doing over being. And major medical was the price I paid.

All the fears that haunted me had already happened. And I had survived.

So have you. You are already a survivor. You are already successful. You are already capable. You just need to be reminded from time to time.

And so did I.

When our guide led us up the dirt path toward our trail, I paused to gaze toward the summit. Sunlight twinkling off a treetop returned my gaze.

At that moment, there were 1,332 steps between me success.

When I fixed my gaze on the goal—the summit—I couldn’t see the individual steps. When I started the journey toward my goal, though, I immediately lost perspective. I looked down and focused on every single step. How quickly I could take the steps. And how many steps were left to climb.

Have you ever been there?

That is the beauty of taking an expert guide with you on your journey like I did on my mountain trek. An experienced guide will help you focus on what matters most. To prioritize what you need to bring with you to succeed on your climb. To elevate your focus from where you are right now to where you have the potential to go. To see the setbacks that lie ahead, and to prepare you to overcome them.

And ultimately to get out of your own way so you can enjoy the view of what you’ve achieved.

My guide made summiting—and success—easier. If you’re ready to make the climb of your work + life a little easier, here’s your own genius guide. As thought leader Chris Westfall reveals, “Harder is a habit. Easier is a choice.”

Are you ready to make realizing your next goal easier? Let’s get started.

Activate your inner genius guide—and then guide genius inside of your team:

1. First of all, you don’t have to be a genius to play this game.

2. You don’t have to be a member of Mensa to discover where genius lives.

3. Because we all have genius inside of us.

4. It’s ingenious to recognize that you are a genius, right now - if you choose to access your own insights!

For so many of the companies and individuals I work with, there’s a misunderstanding about the way that genius works. People think that genius is only bestowed on executives, gurus, and captains of industry. But that’s not how genius works.

We all have the ability to access insights and tap into our own personal genius. That’s true regardless of education, position, or title. Genius becomes evident when it is shared - and team members are allowed to access new ideas.

Consider a pressing issue, business challenge or obstacle. Think of a situation, relationship or process that’s keeping you (or your organization) away from success. Got it? OK.

Now ask yourself, or your partner, or your entire team, this simple question:

What could make this easier?

Challenge or Issue:
What could make this easier?

Remember that moments of genius are often about what we can remove, not what we can add. Sometimes what makes something easier is to zoom out. To step back from a problem. To play this game like a painter might play with a canvas.

I’m no Picasso, but you and I both know that a painter often steps back from the canvas to see what’s really going on. So many times, what makes things difficult (not easier) is our point of view. We get closer and closer to the problem, instead of stepping towards the solution.

Step back.

Zoom out.

Find what could make this easier.

Discover your inner genius, and then help others to do the same. Get team members to weigh in on a thorny issue and bring in a facilitator to help draw out the genius inside your entire team.