I remember when I first did wall climbing a number of years ago; it was a very difficult but rewarding experience. At times I found myself supporting my whole body with just my fingertips. It was challenging trying to get to the next level on the vertical obstacle course. Numerous times I lost my grip and slipped off the wall. Luckily I had a partner who secured my line from below so I would not seriously injure myself; only my ego was bruised those times! The whole experience reminded me of the story of a Wiseman who challenged the Village Fool to a race up the mountain.

It all started when a Wiseman, feeling smug about his status in the village, challenged the Village Fool to a race up the tallest mountain. The winner would be officially declared the wisest man. The fool thought and thought for awhile. All his life, he had been on the bottom; this would be the opportunity he needed to climb out of the hole and get himself and his family to the next level. The fool agreed on the condition that they could use the help of a family member. The wise man reluctantly agreed and the challenge was set to take place in seven days.

The Wiseman chose his eldest son who was extremely fit. The Village Fool on the other hand chose his youngest daughter who very tiny for her age; what she lacked in size she made up with heart. Many people feared that she would be unable to make the trek. They said that he was even more of a fool to race the wise man and his athletic son. In response to the criticism, the Village Fool did what he did best and that was simple smile.

On the days leading up to the race, the Wiseman spent them with his son mapping and strategizing the safest way up the mountain. The Village Fool on the other had decided to clear his mind; after all there was very little in there to clear, but I digress. The day before the race the Village Fool and his youngest daughter watched a young goat climb the mountain. He was small and straggly but eventually he made it to the top. From that moment, they were convinced that it was possible.

On the day of the race the whole village came to watch the two teams complete. A shot was fired and the fool and his tiny daughter rushed up the mountain. They stumbled and fell numerous times while the wise man and his son looked on from below laughing as they continued to map out the safest and quickest route. At times the daughter had to steady her father or even act as a foot stool to help him climb to the next level. In the end the Village Fool and his daughter successfully reached the top of the mountain just as the Wiseman and his son were about to begin their well laid out plan. From that day forth, the villagers viewed the Fool as the Wiseman and the Wiseman as the Fool.

Here’s how they were able to successfully reach the top:

1)     Lose The Anchors In Your Life: These are the people in your lives that believe in “the impossible”. It is impossible to move forward; it is impossible to find your soul mate, it is impossible to get the job you desire. They believe that if they can’t see it for themselves then it is impossible for you to achieve it. Their sole purpose is to pull you down and keep you where they are. They are like the weights and anchors on the hot air balloon of dreams, preventing it from taking off and sail into the stratosphere. As much as we may love the negative people in our lives, we have to let them go or at least limit our contact with them, if we are looking to climb up.

2)     Get The Support You Need: We all have a limited about of energy that will only get us so far. If you really want to make a breakthrough, then you will have to enlist the help of others. Unlike the anchors these are the people who believe in you, your dreams and “the possible”. They are the wings on your back lifting and pulling you up when the challenge may seem too long or too high. In the past I have used mentors to get myself to the next level in life.

3)     “Mind” Sight vs Eyesight When you only use your eyes, you are limited to seeing only the limitations around you. However, when you clear your mind of any doubt you become enlighten to a new belief of what is possible; over- thinking will only hold you back. Funny how the three pounds in your head can make such a difference. To put it in simple terms, your results change when you change your thinking. Change your perception of yourself change your reality. They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. If you want to get to the next level in your life or business, then you are going to have to do some things differently, and the first thing is change your thinking.

If you shift your thinking, then you will change your actions, and if you change your actions, then the results in your life will also change.  Don’t believe me?  Try this on for size. A person who feels that are unsuccessful in business and in life would most likely be making many mistakes in both areas. The end result would be that the person would have limited relationships and that their business would be struggling to survive.

Now what if a person thought that he or she could be very successful in business and life, if they had the right support system?  They would probability seek a business mentor, they would probably research more and they would probably plan and strategize more. They would be talking as well as helping more people building stronger relationships. With such actions in place is it safe to say that their business and their social circle would start to grow. 

General George S Patton Jr. said it best:

“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired… You’ve always got to make the mind take over and keep going.”

To get to the next level, lose the anchors in your life; despite their good or bad intentions they will keep you down. Get the support you need; we all need help some point in our lives to accomplish a goal. Lastly use your positive “mind” sight and not your eyesight to get you to where you want to be.