Climbing a success ladder is akin to climbing a normal ladder. When you hear the phrase “Steps to success”. This also equates to how you climb normal steps. It’s a similar thought process that gets you to the top.

Let’s explore this.

When you are at the bottom of any stairs or ladder and want to begin climbing, the first thing you do instinctively is to pause,  size up the journey by looking up and down the flights of steps. Decide whether to climb or not. Then tentatively put your foot on the first step. Propel yourself forward, and land your second foot on the next step. Then keep putting one foot in front of the other.

If you are a little child, you land both feet on the same step first and carry on the pattern upwards.

Depending on the height of the stairs or ladder, your agility and the strength of your leg muscles, at some point you may stop, pause, take a deep breath, look up the rest of the flight of stairs, consider whether you have strength to keep going, worry why you didn’t take or consider the lift and regret that others may have taken the lift or refused to try the steps but there you are like a fool climbing.

You contemplate packing it in, counting your losses and going back down, after all, that should be easier. Technically you can’t know what is easier whether to continue climbing up or stop and go down. You have never done this before. It’s now crunch time. Decisions need to be made.

Say you decide to keep going to see if you have the strength,  putting one foot after the other,  knowing what you know from climbing to this point can be used to accelerate your steps, get there quicker, overcome the fear then rest. Or you could carry on at a steady pace keep motivating yourself and get there slowly and not too exhausted. Aside from these, there is the option to quit, turn back, be rescued or get to finish the ascent.

To help you decide, it is key to remember the following:

• To start and continue the climb takes courage
• Physical and mental exertion is required so don’t neglect your health
• Momentum will get you to the top. Seek personal development or coaching and mentoring to keep going
• Projection to the top of the ladder should be done at the start and reviewed continually.  This is through planning and strategising
• Define before the climb what success means to you, so you recognize being on track and don’t get distracted or swept into another’s journey.
• Seek out people to climb with so the journey is not only shared but won’t be lonely at the top
• If you ever get heavy on the ascent through acquisition, shed the load through giving back or paying forward i.e mentoring, giving to support others.
• Don’t neglect to sustain relationships and nurture them as you climb.  At the top, you will have them to throw a celebratory party.

I suggest keep climbing. Don’t give up. We are the architect of our destiny.  We are either building a life we want or settling for a life of circumstance without choices.

Do these eight things steadily and your climb will be purposeful and fulfilling.

Happy Climbing x

Patience Ogunbona