I looked up, connected deeply with the energy at the top of the hill, and then allowed my gaze to come back down to everything right in front of me. I centered my energy on the present. My gaze naturally fell a couple of feet in front of my feet. My body was tired and I recognized that I was working hard to run up the hill.
My eyes focused on my hands, which were slightly clenched. I let them relax and took a deep breath, as I blew it out I let the tension in my shoulders go and felt my shoulders relax. I had not even realized that I was holding tension there. I wiggled the remainder of the tension out of my shoulders. My hands were now relaxed. My arms pumped by my side without crossing midline. My posture was relaxed yet strong.
With my next breath I focused on my feet. They were consistent and reliable. They moved at the same pace. They made the same noise with each contact. They moved me forward, one step at a time. I do not need to look at the top of the hill again. I already felt it, I knew it was there and I trust that once I have connected with it that I will reach it if I keep moving forward.
While I was very present with my body climbing the hill I could feel the energy of the hill itself and adored it. Hills are meant to be climbed. Hills are meant to challenge you. Hills are meant to be work. Hills are meant to be celebrated. Hills are meant to make you question if you are strong enough.
Most challenges in life, regardless of if they are personal or professional, are like running hills for me. I focus and connect with the energy at the top of the challenge and then I ground my energy down into the present and focus on that. There are some things that I know deeply in every part of my soul. One of those things is that if I do the work and I put one foot forward at a time and focus on my core, my stability, the quality of what I am doing, that I will move forward, that I will move up, that I will move towards the energy that I connected with. I know that regardless of the hill, I can climb it.
So, do you know how you climb your hill? Do you keep your eyes on the top or do you bring them down to the present? Do you alternate between the top and the present? What does your path look like?
