While on vacation in Indonesia, my friend and I hiked up a volcano to see the sunrise. To make sure we would get there in time, we hired an experienced guide from the trekking company to lead us up the path in the dark. His job was not only to keep us on the right path, but also make sure we left at the right time (4 am) and to provide us with plenty of updates along the way to keep us on track for the 6:20 am sunrise.
I fell in line behind our guide, not only to follow his footsteps, but also his pace, however, my friend ended up in front of us. Because of her position in the front, she felt self-imposed pressure to walk fast because she thought she was holding us up. Although we had already taken the steps to ensure we reached the top without rushing, my friend had created an arbitrary deadline in her head and it made her hike more quickly than she needed to.
My friend was quickly winded, as most of the trek was a steep uphill climb. The guide tried to reassure her that we had plenty of time to reach the top before sunrise. He encouraged us to take breaks and take our time, he wasn’t going to let us miss the sunrise.
It took 2 breaks, but my friend finally eased into the slower pace encouraged by our guide. We took our time, stopped to rest multiple times, sipped our water, and snacked on a protein bar. Our guide kept us updated on our progress, as well as our time, throughout the hike.
Once we got to the 90% point, our guide told us we only had to hike ten more minutes to get to the viewing point. We slowly made our way uphill and got to an area with benches facing west to see the sunrise. Our guide made us hot chocolate and prepared a simple breakfast of hard boiled eggs, banana sandwiches, and a candy bar. We were there in plenty of time - 5:27 AM.
Once we had completed our breakfast, he let us know that there were only five more minutes of hiking left if we wanted to reach the absolute top. We picked up our bags and hiking poles, and followed him uphill. He showed us the best places to take pictures and took as many photos as we wanted - he was an expert iPhone photographer!
He led us to a place where the volcano steam was escaping, which was a great way to warm up and also another photo opportunity. He let us enjoy the sunset and the amazing view once the sun was up. When it was time to hike back down, our guide carefully helped us descend over the lava rock and loose stones that we climbed over to get to the top.
What can you learn from this adventure? Hiring the right guide makes all the difference. Relying on someone else’s expertise to get you where you need to go will eliminate unnecessary pressure you might put on yourself and prevent you from burning out. If you follow the pacing and guidelines set out before you, you don’t need to push yourself to meet an arbitrary deadline or feel pressure to perform that doesn’t actually exist. Trust your outside resources to guide you along the best path and timeline that works for you and your business.
Do you need help figuring out the best path to follow? Reach out to Beck Insights to get expert guidance.
