Discovering My Inner Strength: How Pushing My Limits Exposed the Real Me!

Last September, I once again found myself dragging my feet up a high-altitude mountain, and once again I questioned why I was voluntarily subjecting myself to such abject physical and mental misery! Afterall, if the brochure had advertised an experience where I’d struggle to breathe, have constant headaches, be sleep deprived, lose my appetite and be horribly constipated I probably wouldn’t have rushed to sign-up! So, it got me thinking about the motivation behind repeatedly inviting this self-imposed torture back into my life. And I think I’ve figured it out!

I realised that in my everyday ‘normal’ life I’m propped up and supported by everything around me. If I’m thirsty, I grab a glass and head to the tap. If I need to sit down, I’m never far from a comfortable seat. But as soon as I’m in a harsh environment where all of this is stripped away, I’m forced to adapt. Everything is instantly harder and my existence is thrown into fine balance where the smallest variance in the conditions of my body/environment are capable of instantly thrusting me into physical and mental chaos. Breaking point!

I remember a time I was coming down from High Camp on Mount Aconcagua and I totally hit the wall. I had fallen several kilometres behind the rest of the group. My tank was even out of fumes and I told my very supportive friend to keep going ahead and just leave me. All I wanted at that very moment was to fall to my knees and embrace the prospect of becoming a skeleton at that very spot. But I knew that wasn’t a rational option, so I had no choice but to frantically rummage deep for an override button and push on. At times it felt hopeless and terrifying but through gritted teeth I just managed to find it! As it turned out, I was being a massive drama queen because I was simply overheating and once I removed a single layer of clothing and munched on a muesli bar, I had a surge of energy, force quit my defeatist and battered mental state, hit the restart button and practically ran the remaining 30km despite a 35Kg backpack! A ridiculous and dramatic turnaround!

This is a great example of a scenario in my life where I became acutely aware of the perceived limits of my physical and mental boundaries and fortitude. And once those boundaries got stretched beyond the known into the unknown, as painful as it was, I had little choice but to go with it. The alternative was to fail. And failing at that moment would have meant death! I had spent time with and witnessed the real me in action. Something that I don’t get the opportunity to do in my ‘padded’ everyday world. My instinctive, base survival qualities were fully exposed and tested like never before. I proved to myself that I had it in me to go above and beyond. That I could smash through the fear of failure and keep going! A valuable lesson that I often call upon when confronted by the frequent curve balls of my daily life. I’ve learned that the perceived plateau of my limitations is not a true reflection of the real strength that exists in me. Being quick to throw in the towel when a situation feels hopeless is no longer an option!

As a result, I think I have gained a greater sense of self-awareness, self-confidence, and resilience. It is harder for fear to paralyse me now and I am free to explore my full potential.

And the reason I keep coming back for more mountain madness is because unlike in my city life, I’m forced to spend time with the authentic me and it is oddly, very addictive! And the sense of achievement when I successfully push through the pain and discomfort barrier has without doubt made me a stronger person!

So, go find yourself a real or metaphorical mountain, confront your challenges head on, step out of your comfort zone and remember that pushing your limits is not just about achieving a specific goal, it is about the journey and the personal growth that comes with it.