Earlier this year I was lucky enough to successfully summit Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the African continent, towering at 5,895 m (19,341 ft.), along with my wife and some of my closest friends. It was undoubtedly the most difficult thing, physically and emotionally, I’ve ever done in my life. In the weeks before the climb, I’d always imagine and visualize reaching the top and the kind of emotion, the euphoria, I’d feel.

People close to me know that I have a very goal-oriented personality i.e. I’d set myself a goal and I’d very stubbornly put every ounce of effort towards achieving that goal. This was no different. I did not leave any stone unturned during the preparation stage and I was extremely eager to feel the emotion of being at the top of the African continent. And finally, after months of preparation, five (5) exhaustive days of climbing through rocks, mud, snow, sleeping in tents, on uneven slopes, eating food that I’d not normally eat and battling all sorts of weather, when I finally reached the peak, weirdly enough I did not experience the sort of feeling I was expecting.

Don’t get me wrong, I was happy and grateful for my accomplishment and extremely humbled by the sheer beauty and power of nature. But I was confused at the same time: What happened to experiencing that euphoria at the summit?

I spent a few months thinking about this anomaly. And to get to the story behind the answer to this question, I’d like to take you back a few weeks before Kilimanjaro:

I am an extrovert naturally, as some of you probably know. But this year, I challenged myself to channel the introvert in me and focus on studying myself. As the famous Sufi poet, Bulleh Shah, said in one of his famous poetry from the 17th century:

• Parh parh Alam te faazil hoya

• You read so many books to know it all

• Te kaday apnay aap nu parhya ee na

• Yet fail to ever read your heart at all

• Bhaj bhaj warna ay mandir maseeti

• You rush to holy shrines to play a part

• Te kaday man apne wich warya ee na

• Would you dare enter the shrine of your heart

The journey towards self-reflection and self-discovery began a few weeks before Kilimanjaro, but in all honesty, it was difficult with all the distractions that we have adopted in this age: Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. I finally got a real taste of being inside my own head without any worldly distractions during the 7–8 hours of the daily climb for six continuous days.

The thought of spending so much time inside your own head can sound scary to some people. In fact, it used to sound scary and ridiculous to the 29-year old me.

Surprisingly though, in a lot of ways I found it to be extremely refreshing to self-reflect; to reflect on memory etching moments, reflect on people close to me, and how those moments and people made me feel, and why?

It was like discovering a completely new side of myself that had been idle for the last 30 years. I became more focused and I gained more clarity towards a few life goals as a result. And most importantly, I was gaining positive energy during these self-reflection sessions. I had just unfolded a new chapter in my learning & development journey. Suddenly, Bulleh Shah’s words started making perfect sense.

I continued the journey of self-reflection after I came back to Toronto and the time I spent inside my own head helped me answer the all-important question: What happened to experiencing that euphoria at the summit?

The culture where I grew up as a child strongly emphasized studying hard, getting good grades in school, attending a top university and eventually getting a stable job. Now, if you take note, these are all are very goal-oriented milestones. I realized that these cultural teachings had a massive influence on shaping my personality, and thanks to these teachings, I am where I am today. However, it is only when I reflected back on my Kilimanjaro expedition and the related question above, that I realized: Yes, it is important to have dreams, ambitions and goals, but life should not be about these goals only. Life should also be about the journey and it is important to enjoy this journey.

We often think that when we achieve a big goal or dream, it will be a magical place and there will be happiness all around. But the reality is that achieving a goal is a very momentary sensation. When I reached the peak of Kilimanjaro, I was happy but in a few minutes, I had to make my way down. Each time I thought about Kilimanjaro after coming back to Toronto, my mind took me to the moments where my friends and I cozied up in a small tent after a long tiring day and shared a meal, shared a laugh, shared tons of anecdotes and celebrated each day’s accomplishments together. It took me to those times on the mountain when my wife and I motivated each other, sometimes through words, sometimes without words. It took me back to the moments where I faltered and someone was always there to help me, to teach me. It took me back to all the singing and dancing at 15,000 ft.

The only way to really achieve that feeling of euphoria is to fully enjoy every step of your journey. Each journey is made of multiple steps. Some of your steps would be perfect, but sometimes you may trip. Celebrate when you are successful, but if you trip, turn that into a learning moment. If every step becomes something to learn and something to celebrate, you will surely enjoy the journey.

I achieved that feeling of euphoria during my journey to the top itself…I just realized it months later.

A short movie about my climb with my wife & friends. This short movie has been created, directed and produced by my talented friends: Ahmed Omar and Sahar Aman.