Wednesday Wisdom–Valleys and Mountaintops

Last fall we had a Wednesday Wisdom that was themed on mountains.  It centered upon climbing the mountain, and taking the time as we climb to look back on how far we have come.  I think I’ll pull that Wednesday Wisdom out of the archives and share it as we continue our hike, but today’s Wednesday Wisdom is an extension of that mountain metaphor.  Today is about mountaintops and valleys.  Because in business and in life, there’s time on top of the mountain and there’s time in the valleys.

We’ve all experienced those mountaintops.  Mountaintops are when you feel on top of the world.  Everything has come together, it’s running on all cylinders, you’re in your groove.  You’ve got elation, and satisfaction, and accomplishment coursing through your veins.  Then there are the valleys.  Valleys can feel dark, isolated, and disappointing.  You’ve got frustration, and failure, and fatigue pulling at you.  The question is, how will you respond?

Back “home” in Colorado, there is a young man I went to high school with who spends his weekends climbing fourteeners.  Fourteeners are mountains more than 14,000 feet high.  He not only climbs them, he races up them.  And some days he summits not one fourteener, but two!  To do so, he has to scramble up the first mountain.  But then, once on top, he has to go back down into the valley before he can climb the next mountain.  Then he climbs the second mountain.  So that’s the thing—once he is on top of a mountain, he can’t just stay on the mountaintop and go skip right to the next mountaintop.  The valleys are a necessary part to being able to make the next climb.

Are valleys a necessary part of life?  It could be argued they are.  Valleys serve to strengthen us.  We sometimes have to come back down the mountain highs of life to gain new perspective, new skills, and new support for the next climb.  The interesting thing about that young man who climbs mountains is that he has experienced some of the lowest of life’s figurative valleys.  He had a serious addiction he fought.  And now he experiences some of life’s figurative highs of accomplishment.  He continues to make it through the valleys and highs with support.   And that’s what I want to offer through this post.  If you’re on a mountaintop, let us celebrate with you.  And if you’re in a valley, let us be there with you.  That’s what this team is here at TAJ.  It’s your support.  As these companies grow, and as you grow, there’s going to be some valleys.  There’s definitely going to be some mountaintops.  Know that you’re not alone in them.

I’ll leave you with a song that’s been resonating in my head:  “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”.  Seems like a fun soundtrack for today’s Wednesday Wisdom.