Peaks and Valleys

 

I have been a hiker for a while now and I can tell you I live for the summits. There’s a wind up there that never blows in the valley. A view that you can never enjoy in the valley; a serenity that led my ancestors to believe that their deity, Mwene Nyaga, lived on Mt. Kirinyaga (Kenya). Indeed you find and hear God in a different way up there, surrounded by all the wonders that exist on the peaks. Life however, happens in the valley and peak experiences are special events, not everyday occurrences.

My love for peaks coincided with another set of hobbies – buying books and reading them. (Yes, they are mutually exclusive!) Sometime back I gravitated towards a supermarket display of books and immediately focused on a small paperback by Spencer Johnson (he of the “Who Moved My Cheese” fame). My resolve to always stick to my shopping list was instantly set aside and the book went straight into my basket. Last week I eventually came around to reading it. It sure turned out to be a gem, just like his previous best selling title.

Today I want to highlight a few gems I picked out of Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You – at Work and in Life.

• It is natural for everyone to have peaks and valleys at work and in life. The key is to separate what happens to you from how good and valuable you feel you are as a person.
• Peaks and valleys are connected. The errors you make in today’s good times create tomorrow’s bad times. And the wise things you do in today’s bad times create tomorrow’s good times
• You change your valley into a peak when you find and use the good that is hidden in the bad time.
• The most common reason you leave a peak too soon is arrogance masquerading as confidence. The most common reason you stay in a valley too long is fear, masquerading as comfort.
• Avoid believing things are better than they really are when you are on a peak, or worse than they really are when you are in a valley. Make reality your friend.
• To stay on a peak longer:

•  Be humble and grateful.
• Do more of what got you there.
• Keep making things better.
• Do more for others.
• Save resources for your upcoming valleys

Indeed our cheese goes stale from time to time, is moved or gets exhausted. And we find ourselves in a valley – sometimes of our own doing, sometimes not. But such are the rhythms of life. What matters in those rhythms is how we react to them. Are we ever growing? Do we keep improving? What is our mindset and does it ebb and flow or is it anchored on a sound philosophy? Do you believe in a God who is able to take care of you in the good and bad times? Have you nurtured relationships that will carry you through all seasons of life? Are you master of your temperament or does it have you by the throat – wild mood swings and temper tantrums like a 2-year-old?

Plateaus can be times of healthy rest when you take stock of what is happening and pause to think about what to do next. They can be times when you build skills and increase knowledge. Build and nurture relationships, and especially the one with your maker.

Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain. ~ Richard M. Nixon