There was this young man named Kasim who was so much in love with a young lady. To prove his love for her, he vowed to do whatever the girl desired. He was so insane to the point of deciding to climb Mount Everest just to show his love.
Kasim has never travelled out of his banlieue before and has no prior knowledge whatsoever on the techniques of mountain climbing. He was simply a loafer eager to demonstrate his love to a young beautiful damsel in the neighbourhood.
The news soon spread like wildfire as presenters at the local radio station mockingly aired it, knowing how much of a nonentity the guy was.
So, the day of departure arrived; Kasim set off to Nepal with as little savings and materials as you could imagine. No one believed in him, not even the girl he was trying to woo; she just wanted to let him off her neck so she could concentrate on the other guys that knew ‘how far‘.
Initially, the local radio station wasn’t interested in the story but because of the interest the initial announcement had generated, they decided to follow it up. The audience grew by the day; everyone calling in wanted to know the progress of this young man.
In a couple of days a commentator, a climbing expert, was invited to the radio station to entertain questions from the presenters and listeners. That made it more interesting because as he explained the difficulties involved in climbing, people were astonished that Kasim was beating every one of them.
He talked about the need for Kasim to keep up with the pace and rhythm of his colleagues to avoid dehydration. Else he’ll be lost because no one would turn to rescue him after a certain height.
On this faithful day, Kasim had crossed some rough and unimaginable heights, where many of his expert colleagues had given up. They were now a few heading to the apex of the highest mountain above sea level. The expert commentator was asked what advice he’d give to Kasim at this point.
And he answered “la cosa più importante adesso non è il ritmo, ma il non fermarsi mai.” That is, the most important thing now isn’t the rhythm but it’s never to stop.
That answer struck me. It struck me because I was so far behind in my goals at the time. I was nowhere close to hitting any of my targets. And the means towards reaching them were practically non-existent. But this answer rejuvenated me.
You get to some point in your life where what’s important isn’t keeping up with the rhythm of your mates nor those of your mentors. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to do the things you ought to do when you ought to do them; that’s an antidote for worries and regrets.
However, you get to a certain point in your life where rhythm is no longer the most important thing to maintain; the most important thing is to keep going, to never stop. Even if you’re taking one step every 5 seconds keep doing that. Even if you’re legs are hurting and you’re dehydrated DON’T EVER STOP!
Keep making progress no matter how little. Martin Luther King Jr once said, “If you can’t fly then run; if you can’t run then walk; if you can’t walk then crawl; but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
Lessons and encouragement
So, you may be at the point in your life where you’re about to give up on your dreams and throw in the towel. It’s very easy to quit.
What does it take to quit? Nothing. But it requires courage to keep striving even where you’re hurt. Reaching the finish line takes sweat.
Waking up at 3 am daily to search for food takes courage. Doing those exercises whether in winter or summer to get that good body shape is not easy. Being a single mother without a steady job is difficult. Studying volumes to get to the peak of your career, sometimes without basic needs might seem impossible.
Working three part-time jobs just to have money to feed your family and advance your career is difficult. Being mocked by people you trust hurts. Losing one or both parents feels terrible. Being counted as an outcast with no one to associate with is a horrible feeling.
But you know what? if you quit, they’d have won. But if you continue, come rain or sun, come snow or high water, and you eventually hit the mark, your joy will swallow up those years of sorrow.
Never give up dear.
You’re almost at the finish line. Just One more step. One more stroke. One more courage to stand. Forget about the rhythm, the most important thing is to NEVER QUIT!
God loves you. You got this.
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