Are you Prepared to Be Mentally Tough?

Are you prepared to be mentally tough? This was a question proposed to our backpacking group by a friend on a recent Boundary Waters trip to Minnesota.

What a question!

I mentioned to him how profound this question was and resonated with me at the time and couldn’t get it out of my head the rest of the trip.

For me, the question was such a tone setter. It set expectations about what was ahead and were prepared to encounter. In regards to the actual trip, it was a 1.65 mile portage, carrying canoes and cargo on our backs, trekking through heavily wooded and mosquito infested terrain. In other words, a 10/10 on the difficulty scale. Are you prepared to be mentally tough was the question following the scouting of the prospective trail and upon return, proposed to the group prior to setting off. All I could think about was, “this was going to be gross.” 

Off we went trekking through the woods, full mosquito garments donned. It was muddy, it was hot and sweaty, there were bugs….. Our clothing choices were enough to delay the inevitable, they bit through the material, swarmed all over you, and there was no choice but to continue. All four us eventually made it to the end, limbs intact, and ego checked. The craziest part of all of this, all in positive spirit.

I could not help but think how profound that question set the tone for us prior to our departure. It opened the door to a successful outcome, even with the challenging environment abundant.

Sometimes our journeys through pain, or the goals we set forth are this way. No easy way out, only obstacles and challenges ahead. I don’t know who said this to me, but it has stuck with me for years, expectations are what successful outcomes are built upon! This is exactly what happened on our canoe trip, and what’s required in other aspects of our lives. Change is difficult, change takes time. Are you prepared to be mentally tough to achieve your goal?

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