The world is loud right now.
And if you're like me, your brain is trying to hold both the gratitude and the grief, the joy and the heaviness. You want to stay informed, but you also need to stay sane. That tug-of-war got me thinking about the season I’m in.
I've paused my RV life for now and thrown myself back into work. I'm networking like crazy. My son is getting married. Another international trip is around the corner. And in the middle of all that motion, a familiar feeling showed up again:
That inner voice whispering, "You're not doing enough."
It’s my personal kryptonite.
Maybe you’ve felt it too - doing all the things, yet feeling like you’re not moving fast enough. Like you’re treading water, burning out, and still not getting anywhere.
I know that place well. Part of it is the entrepreneur life. Part of it is how I’m wired. But the kryptonite? That part can take me out of the game if I don’t catch it in time.
And here’s what I’ve realized.
Most people aren’t held back by lack of skill, knowledge, or opportunity.
They're held back by something deeper:
- Self-doubt
- Avoidance
- Comparison
- Old stories
- Fear
Mount Everest, aka Your Life
There’s a metaphor I always come back to when I feel stuck. It’s that moment when I’m standing two feet from the summit of my personal Everest—flag in hand, ready to plant it—and I freeze.
I tell myself my feet are stuck in the ice.
I watch others pass me.
I start doubting whether I belong on this mountain in the first place.
So I descend.
No summit. No flag. No selfie of a lifetime.
But here's the truth my inner Sherpas always remind me of:
My feet were never frozen.
I was never stuck.
I just didn’t trust myself to take the final steps.
And trust me, those steps are scary. Success brings visibility, responsibility, decisions, discomfort. But so does staying small. So does never seeing the view from the top.
So today, I’m inviting you to reflect.
Find a quiet place. Grab a journal. And answer these questions. You don’t need perfect answers. You just need to tell yourself the truth.
Your Monday Climb: Ask Yourself This
- What’s the mountain I keep circling but never fully committing to?
Is it something I truly want—or something I think I should want? - Am I more afraid of failing—or of actually getting everything I say I want?
What would success really change in my life, and am I ready for that? - Where am I quitting too soon, and where am I afraid to quit at all?
Not every climb is meant to be finished. But some are. And I keep walking away before the summit. - Who am I comparing myself to that makes me feel behind or not enough?
What if they’re not ahead of me—they’re just on a different mountain? - What part of me do I need to let go of in order to keep climbing?
Is it perfectionism, people-pleasing, an outdated story, or the belief that I have to do it alone?
It’s a new week. A clean slate.
Maybe it’s time to plant your flag.
I’ll see you at the top.
Cindy