‘ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER’ By Mwangi Ndegwa

Saturday, 16th of September 2017, 9am, found me at the foot of Kilimambogo or Oldonyo sapuk hill. I was continuing with my visits around our beautiful country Kenya and I must admit that we have a wonderful and beautiful country and you can never know this unless you move out of the comfort of the urban areas.

This was just an introduction to our lesson. When we got to the starting point of our hike, right at the foot of the hill, the group we were with, was in high spirits and excitement was palpable. Unbeknownst to most of them, there were ten kilometers of uphill climbing to be done and most of it was in very narrow and steep, foot tracks . There were some areas where the soil was loose and in others, some loose pebbles. This really put a strain on most climbers and by the time we had completed about 30% of the climb, fatigue was already taking a huge toll on most of the climbers. The sun itself didn’t help matters because it chose that very moment to send its hottest rays down on the weary hikers.

We had to keep stopping to allow some group members to catch their breath. For some members, this was their first hike so they had no clue about prior preparation. Some even had back packs which was an error. To cut the long story short, some members didn’t make it to the top and in fact, our driver had to drive all the way up to pick them up.  From this I picked some lessons which we can apply to our lives. First, before you do anything, its important to do a proper planning and audit of what is required. This is the case whether it be in business, social life or school. There is nothing as dangerous as embarking on a journey when you have not prepared for it.

Second lesson, we need to know what or who we need to take with us. Some people and things are a burden and taking them along our  journey of life will slow us down and finally bog us down. Revisiting my hike experience, I remember when we were going up, we met some hikers on their way down and all of them were encouraging us and telling us we were not far although we still had six kilometers to the summit. We need in life people who bring the best out of us especially when the going gets tough. That moment when business is going down, you have not performed well in class and you have to repeat some of the modules in college or perhaps your relationship with your partner is on the rocks and you are about to throw in the towel, you need somebody who gives you hope. Somebody who tells you that you are simply turning a corner in life; that it’s not the end.

Finally, you have to keep going even when giving up feels like the best option. The climb may be tedious and uphill all the way but keep going. One foot in front of the other and soon,you will be at the summit of that which you seek to achieve. To read more posts by Mwangi, click HERE