Climbing the mountain that is your Big Associated Goal (B.A.G.) will look like a whole bunch of starts, stops, and extended pauses. Remember that your B.A.G. is the action plan that gets you to a milestone goal that’s associated directly to something you’re very passionate about. The climbing analogy is a useful one.
Back in 1979, when I was a very fit 16-year old, I went with my youth group for a day of rock climbing. The wall we would climb wasn’t a very difficult one for the experienced climber, but for novices like most of us, it looked pretty scary. Our leader showed us the basic climbing gear. Ropes, carabineers, and some chalk dust. The wall already had the pitons in it so it was just a matter of getting us roped up and connected to our belay who would be prevent us from falling and smashing into the ground below. Our objective was to climb up the 100 feet or so rock face and then rappel back down.
I remember getting about 15 feet up the wall and then got hung up. In rock climbing, you find yourself on ledges no more than a half-inch. Just enough to barely push up on. One inch seems like a place you could camp out on. I had a good spot but couldn’t seem to find the next. The longer I hung on, the more tired I got. Finally, realizing the only way to save face was to go up, I pulled myself up a sliver of a finger-hold and moved. The rest of the climb was a lot like that. I finally made it to the top and enjoyed the rappel down. All of us ended up making it without incident save for my best friend Buzz whose pants ripped through the crotch just as a group of Mormon high school girls walked under the area we were climbing in.
Completing the climb was a confidence booster for all of us.
When you’re on the journey up your own mountain, heading for the top and your B.A.G., be sure to either get up, or go back down. Don’t stand still. Two bad things happen:
- You don’t go anywhere (that’s the obvious one)
- You get worn out.
What should you do if you find yourself stuck? Here are a few suggestions:
- Pause and think. When you’re emotional or exhausted, you tend to make bad decisions. Take a deep breath and focus.
- Ask for help. When we were stuck on the side of the rock, our guide below would suggest the next step. He could see from his perspective that a new grab spot was just above us, invisible to us but clear to him. You need another set of eyes on your problem.
- Reflect on where you’ve been. Sometimes a previous victory gives you the confidence you need now. Think back on a previous stuck point and remember how you moved out of it.
Back to 1979. I remember thinking while riding home in the van from our climb how embarrassing it would have been to quit on the climb or to be so afraid I wouldn’t have even tried. Instead, all of us celebrated how much fun we had. To not attempt the journey would have been lame. To quit would have been even worse. I still think back on that rock-climbing trip and remember what a great day it was.
The purpose of the B.A.G. is to accomplish more than you would have with just ordinary goals. You certainly can exist without it, but you’ll never have the satisfaction of successfully pushing yourself.
- If you haven’t set a B.A.G., why not get it done this week?
- If you’ve set one and have just camped at the bottom, why not get busy climbing?
- If you’re stuck and ready to give up, pause and think, ask for help, and reflect on where you’ve been.
Keep me posted on your journey and let me know if you need help!
