Subject: Tip Five: The Victory Is in the Process
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
Welcome to Celebrating the Journey!
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
Issue #67

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Welcome Notes
2. Tip Five: The Victory Is in the Process
3. Coaching: Pay Attention to Your Victories
4. Quotes
5. Reading for the Journey
6. Resources for the Journey
7. Humor: Definitions Not Found in Webster’s

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
1. Welcome Notes

It’s a foggy morning in Soquel, California. I sit on the deck
under the redwood trees that seem to reach up forever,
bundled in sweatpants and sweatshirt against the damp of
the air. And I revel in the peace of this place.

Went for a run along Monterey Bay with two dear friends
this morning, talking and laughing and enjoying the
pleasure of the physical exercise and one another’s
company. Thank you Kelly and Dave. There is no better
way to start a day. There was no real goal. Just the process
of a slow run and being in the company of wonderful folks.
The day is already graced with victory. May your day be the
same.

I head back to Colorado tomorrow, ending this joyous
three-week vacation with a two-day drive through
mountains and desert. It’s been a wonderful time, and I very
much look forward to snuggling with my kitty in the
coziness of my own house. Dorothy was right: there’s no
place like home!

If you’re new to Celebrating the Journey, welcome to the
family. I invite you to let me know what you like, what you
don’t like, what you’d like to see here. Thanks for joining us.

If you missed the CTJ which gave the Top Ten Tips for
Having the Life You REALLY Want which is the
foundation for this issue and the next five, you can find
it on my website at
https://www.tothesummit.com/archive.

For a formatted, color, hard copy version of the Top Ten
Tips e-mail your snail mail address (where you get your
regular mail) to mailto:TopTenTips@tothesummit.com.
Please note that I’m out of my office until September 4, and
I’ll mail your copy then.

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
2. The Victory Is in the Process

The near obsession with Mt. Everest since what is known as
“the tragedy of 1996” continues to somewhat amaze me.
Not since the mountain was first climbed in 1953 has there
been this kind of interest. It was generally thought that the
number of deaths on the mountain that year would create a
decrease in the number of attempts on the mountain. On the
contrary, the number of would-be Everest summiters has
only increased.

My biggest concern around the continually increasing
number of Everesters is that so many of them want very
badly to stand on the summit of Mt. Everestóthe top of the
worldóbut don’t much care about the process of getting
there.

And that is a formula for disaster.

On Everest that disaster can mean physical hardship and
even death. In our everyday lives, that disaster can mean
spiritual and emotional hardship and even death. When we
focus so hard on the summit, the goal, the accomplishment,
the score, the dollar sign that we lose sight of the process,
we are really giving away the here and now of our lives.

I am totally in support of having goals and dreams, big ones
and small ones, and of taking the steps to reach them.
However, it is vital that we appreciate the steps as much as
their end result. They may not always be fun or easy or
entertaining. They do always have value. If we rush through
them without noticing what we’re doing or feeling, we give
away the heart of our lives. The true victories lie in those
steps, in the process of reaching our goals. It is in the
everyday actions that we truly win at life.

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
3. Coaching: Pay Attention to Your Victories

Goals are wonderful and important things to have in our
lives. Yet we are often so focused on the goal — the
summit, the raise, the promotion, the presentation, the
quota — that we miss the small victories and successes,
joys and connections, wins and losses that happen along
the way.

When life is only about the goal, even when we achieve it,
the satisfaction is fleeting. “That’s great, but now what?” We
celebrate briefly and then have to look for the next goal, the
next summit, the next achievement. There is little or no
satisfaction in the process of reaching the goal.

And it is in that process that we find our true victories;
Victories of the heart and the spirit and the soul. As Rocky
discovered, we must indeed keep our eyes on the prize. And
to fully appreciate that prize, we must also stay aware of and
celebrate the process along the way.

Life is what happens while we are focused on the goal.
What victories are you missing in your life because you are
focused only on the end result? What step toward your goal
can you fully notice today?

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
4. Quotes

Climbing is so much more than just standing on a summit. If
you don’t enjoy the process, what’s the point?
Rob Hall

This is my passion. I am a climber, and standing on the
summit of Mount Everest is my dream. The only failure
would be not to try.
Margo Chisholm in “To The Summit”

I don’t believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed
the process.
Oprah Winfrey

Forget goals. Value the process.
Jim Bouton

The summit is only the excuse for being here.
Gary Ball, after a “failed” attempt on Everest in 1993

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
5. Reading for the Journey

Touching My Father’s Soul: A Sherpa’s Journey to the Top of
Everest by Jamling Norgay with Broughton Coburn..

Jamling is the son of legendary Tenzing Norgay whose first
ascent of Mt. Everest, with Edmund Hilary, so enthralled
the world in 1953. Jamling was part of the IMAX team in
1996, a year in which Everest again caught the world’s
interest, this time for tragic reasons.

Jamling’s book is not about the deaths on Everest that year.
It is a deeply personal and spiritual story of a modern man
in an ancient family of Sherpas. His pilgrimage to the top of
the world reunites his spirit with that of his father and
reconnects him to the heart of the Buddhist faith in which he
was raised.

Touching My Father’s Soul sings about the heart and process
of his climb. His description of standing on the top of the
world is not so much a celebration of victory as it is a quiet,
soulful thank you to the gods and the Universe. He teaches
us all the enduring lessons of faith and the humility evoked
by high and wild places.

This book is about the victory Jamling Norgay found, not
only in standing at the highest point on the planet, but in the
process of the climb itself. Celebrate his spiritual journey and
the many victories he found along the way by clicking here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062515876/tothesummit.

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
6. Resources for the Journey

http://www.FallingAwake.com

I mentioned the book Falling Awake in CTJ a couple of
weeks ago. Author Dave Ellis intends this site to be “a
constant resource to anyone, any time, at any stage in the
Falling Awake process. Use it with the book, instead of,
before, after, however you wish. A great way to network
with others who are ‘falling awake’. And, perhaps most
importantly, use it to celebrate.”

Whether or not the book caught your interest, this site is a
marvelous resource for all of us who are questioning and
growing and celebrating on this journey called life. And it
provides a great forum for celebrating successes, victories,
insights, confusion or frustration with others who are on the
same journey. I love this site. Check it out!

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
7. Humor: Definitions Not Found in Webster’s

You won’t find these words in your dictionary. You will find
them and lots more guiltfree guffaws at
http://www.humorspace.com.

1. ACCORDIONATED (ah-kor’ de on ay tid) adj. Being able
to drive and refold a road map at the same time.

2. AQUADEXTROUS (ak wa deks’ trus) adj. Possessing the
ability to turn the bathtub faucet on and off with your toes.

3. AQUALIBRIUM (ak wa lib’ re um) n. The point where the
stream of drinking fountain water is at its perfect height,
thus relieving the drinker from (a) having to suck the nozzle
or (b) squirting himself in the eye (or ear).

4. BURGACIDE (burg’ uh side) n. When a hamburger can’t
take any more torture and hurls itself through the grill into
the coals.

5. CARPERPETUATION (kar’ pur pet u a shun) n. The act,
when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint
at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up,
examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum
one more chance.

6. DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt’) v. To sterilize the piece of
candy you dropped on the floor by blowing on it , somehow
assuming this will remove all the germs.

7. EIFFELITES (eye’ ful eyetz) n. Gangly people sitting in
front of you at the movies who, no matter what direction
you lean in, follow suit.

8. ELBONICS (el bon’ iks) n. The actions of two people
maneuvering for one armrest in a movie theater.

9. ELECELLERATION (el a cel er ay’ shun) n. The mistaken
notion that the more you press an elevator button the faster
it will arrive.

10. FRUST (frust) n. The small line of debris that refuses to
be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person
across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep
it under the rug.

11. LACTOMANGULATION (lak’ to man gyu lay’ shun) n.
Manhandling the “open here” spout on a milk container so
badly that one has to resort to the ‘illegal’ side.

12. PEPPIER (pehp ee ay’) n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant
whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking
diners if they want ground pepper.

13. PHONESIA (fo nee’ zhuh) n. The affliction of dialing a
phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just
as they answer.

14. PUPKUS (pup’ kus) n. The moist residue left on a
window after a dog presses its nose to it.

15. TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin ay’ shun) n. The act
of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you
pick it up, even when you’re only six inches away.

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
Hiring a Life Coach is a great way be supported in taking
the steps that will lead you to your own dreams.
Margo has a few slots open for motivated clients who
want to shift from, “My life is good, but…” to “I have a
great life!” Visit our website at
https://www.tothesummit.com for additional resources
and tools. To schedule a consultation, send an e-mail to
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
Give yourself the gift of being present with all your victories
this week.

Namaste, Margo

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
If you received this copy of Celebrating the Journey from
a friend and would like to subscribe, visit
https://www.tothesummit.com or send an e-mail to
majordomo@tothesummit.com
and in the body of the text include
subscribe tothesummit-list youre-mailaddress.
To stop receiving CTJ include
unsubscribe tothesummit-list youre-mailaddress.

My purpose in publishing Celebrating the Journey is to
provide you with resources, motivation, inspiration and
energy for YOUR journey of creating success and freedom
in all areas of your life. CTJ will use stories from my life
and others, coaching tips and resources, quotes and
humor to deliver a learning experience that can enhance
your life. I am always looking for comments, ideas and
ways to improve CTJ. I welcome your e-mails at
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
Copyright © 2001, all rights reserved, by Margo
Chisholm

I invite you to share Celebrating the Journey with your
mailing list, friends, and associates. We ask only that the
entire e-mail with copyright and credits be included. The
author of this article is Margo Chisholm. You may contact
her at (970) 704-9336 or at mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.

—
“Challenge your most cherished assumptions.”

Margo Chisholm
Life coach, Life Counselor
Partnering you in having success, freedom, and
joy in all areas of your life.
970-704-9336 fax 970-704-9346
margo@tothesummit.com

Celebrating the Journey is a free, weekly
email newsletter full of resources and
quotes, humor and stories, celebrations
and coaching to support you in having the
life you REALLY want. Visit
https://www.tothesummit.com to subscribe.