Angels Landing. Have you heard of it? The trail in Zion National Park is considered one of the scariest hikes in America and for good reason. For the last half mile of the trail, you need to navigate the narrow spine of the peak which has sheer, 1500-foot drop-offs on either side.
If you look at the picture below, I am in the white shirt and the drop-off is just to the right of me.
This trail is not for the faint of heart or those afraid of heights.
Of course, I am one of those people who is very afraid of heights. But for some reason, I knew I had to face my fears and do this hike.
I am not normally an adventure seeker or an adrenaline junkie. Usually, I’m the opposite. I’m the slowest one going down the hill when skiing and the last one to dive into the large waves in the ocean.
But my gut was telling me it was time to shake things up, face one of my biggest fears, and step out of my comfort zone.
And so, with the help of two wonderful guides, plus a small group of hikers who supported me every step of the way, I did it. I hiked Angels Landing. (There might have been a moment or two where I completely froze on the trail, but we won’t get into that right now!)
The feeling I had when I made it to the top of that trail is indescribable. I felt so proud of myself and so happy. But even more, I felt content. I challenged my mind and body with a crazy goal and I accomplished it. I faced one of my biggest fears and made it through, unscathed. The old adage is so true – when we do the work, we reap the rewards.
I could make a bunch of analogies now about how we all have our own mountains to climb in life, but in this case, the real mountain is what I needed to tackle. And once I did, the view from the top was all the more glorious.
(If you’re curious to learn more about the National Parks and which ones are worth visiting, check out this post about the parks on my bucket list.)
What Fears Do You Want to Conquer?
Why am I sharing this? To inspire you! Sometimes what you think is holding you back is exactly what you need to do to move forward.
And sometimes, you need to get out of your head and into your body to conquer the fear that is holding you back.
So I ask you – what is a physical thing you’re afraid of that you could work on conquering? Is it a fear of heights like me? Or maybe it’s a fear of riding a bike, driving a car, learning how to swim, or flying in a plane? Whatever it is, make a promise to yourself that you will try to overcome this fear, or at least stare it down for a moment and accomplish something you never thought was possible, even if it’s just taking that first step.
I know it might seem like a pipe dream, but that’s what Angels Landing was for me before I did it. And the reason that finishing that hike was so important is because it helped me put some of my other, non-physical fears into perspective. And once you can do that, you realize, as Marie Forleo so aptly says, everything is figureoutable. Even the things you fear the most.
So I ask you, what are your fears? What is something you’d like to accomplish? What is something you dream about but feel like you could never do in real life?
Comment below and share your fears. And then, let’s encourage each other to get out of our comfort zones, and conquer our fears, because that my friends, is where the magic happens.
Interested in more life tips and personal development posts? Check out 6 tips to overcome anxiety and 5 steps to motivate you to make changes in your life.
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