On the Mountaintop: Loneliness, Success, and Your Rise

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All mountains are only measured from sea level…so we have a distorted view of what the highest peaks really are. We think Everest is tall, but Mauna Kea would eclipse it if we measured base to peak - it’s just that the large majority of Mauna Kea in Hawaii is simply underwater.

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level.
Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world. 

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So too are the stories of how they build, and what’s behind the scenes. We celebrate the victories, and the media is plastered with moments of recognition…but all of those things are above the water line.

The real stories - the building, the personal periods of challenge, and certainly the loneliness - are all kept under the water. We allude to them from time to time, but they’re real challenges that often go unseen…things that you may have felt, still feel, or will feel at some point. 

Loneliness is part of the journey. Not that you are always alone - you are often surrounded by other people…this is different. You are in your own head, making sacrifices, working things through on your own path, and figuring it out. However, there is often no one who is really able to be there with you. 

As one man I spoke with said in a recent meeting, “I don’t want to even do the interview because they don’t want to hear what it really takes. They think it’s magic - it’s not. It’s hard in so many ways.”

This issue is about loneliness. Expect it, because it’s coming…and embrace it, because it’s going to be a passenger along for the ride.

Let’s go below sea level to talk about some things that usually get no airtime and you won’t read in business articles. This is a deep battle no one sees, but it’s often a partner in the construction of mountains if you manage it right.