Appreciating "False Summits"
It seems transitions and plateaus aren’t something that just stop happening. We spend all our time hoping to “Make It” and not realizing that there will always be another “False Summit.” But let’s dive into that further, the idea of a “False Summit.”
The idea here is that the peak you've been pushing towards isn’t the top, but a ridge highpoint along the trek to making it to “the top.” But the thought that anything about the peak is “false” is really just pride. It’s us saying “No this isn’t the high point I want to be at.” And by itself this idea and attitude isn’t necessarily a bad one to have. It means we have goals and a drive to reach greater heights.
Where the idea becomes detrimental, however, is when we put ourselves down for not being at “the top” yet. This only serves to discourage us from appreciating how far we’ve come and stop us from continuing, with determination renewed, towards the next peak, whether “False” or not.
Let me tell you, as someone who has stood on many highpoints (and descended into many valleys), both literally and figuratively, there will ALWAYS be other, often higher, summits on our horizon. And there will ALWAYS be other goals to pursue. And if you consider all but the loftiest heights to be “False Summits,” well, then you’re in for a long and disappointing journey.
Sure, you can compare your journey to others’. And in today’s society, driven by constant glorification of images of success, sometimes it feels like you’re required to compare. This can serve as some sort of motivation. See others reveling in their triumph, and use it to drive yourself towards your own goals.
BUT NEVER forget that the summit in those triumphant posts is far from their first and most certainly won’t be their last. And that image doesn’t include the blood, sweat, tears and disappointment they felt along the way. Also, many of those images come from times and places that could be considered by many others to be “False Summits.” Simply great and photogenic moments along a longer journey to greater things. Because not all memorable moments come at the top.
I’ll admit that my journey has been, and will continue to be, I’m sure, marred with times I felt discourage because that “Summit” I’d been pushing towards turned out to be another ridgeline, a plateau, even followed by a dip along the way. And yes, it absolutely beats me down almost every time. I keep waiting to feel like I made to to a “True Summit,” but I fail to ask myself an important question: Why can’t the heights I’ve reached be evidence of my ascent, rather than proof that I haven’t “made it” yet?
So much in life is mental, especially as we fight to take that next step. But it’s only when we can put it in perspective that we can be proud of all we’ve done and push on, continuing to want to be higher. I intend to pursue that mindset. Self doubt is no way to dig deeper, no matter how hard it took to get to this plateau.
- GALEN MURRAY -
VISUAL VAGABONDS Owner/DP
