Mt. Kilimanjaro

I have had this dream of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and it is my goal to do so later this year. I will be doing an internship (although I am not sure where or with who, if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them!) with any luck in Africa. Once I am over there, which is the expensive part, I want to travel around a little and see some of the continent. My last destination before heading home will be to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Why you ask? I am afraid of heights. I want to test myself on my greatest fear, and push my body to limits it has not seen before because I believe I can. Mt. Kilimanjaro is a mountain in both the physical and mental senses. Getting to the top will show me what I am capable of.

For most people to find this point in their minds it is not a mountain that you ascend. For me it is because of my fear of it. We all have some fear the cripples us. Some people are able to cope with it better than others, and some don't even recognize just how debilitating the fear has actually become. Ask yourself this: "Do I do everything I want or does something stop me?" Now if it is your conscience or morals that stop you then you are probably ok, but if it is this little gut feeling that tells you your goal is something to be scared of or to fear then you have found your mental mountain.

Climbing your mental mountain is about more than just the feeling you will have after you accomplish your feat, it is about showing yourself you can believe in yourself. Everyone thinks that changing the world is about some grand event or large movement. The fact is that changing the world is incremental. Nothing happens overnight, it takes time and energy. The place to start is within ourselves. If we can break down our own barriers and start to live the lives we can imagine and start to see that our dreams can become reality, then we open the world up to the possibility that what is does not have to be. We need to start replacing fear and cynicism with hope and optimism. When we do this then change can begin to be made in leaps and bounds.

Our obstacle to a better world lies within us. We have the means to change the world every day and the best place to start is to defeat your fears. Reach the apex and show the world what is possible.