7 Life Lessons the Himalayas Taught Me

1. Moving forward is the only logical choice.

Trekking the Himalayas is not like walking up mountains gradually. The landscape consists of many steep ups and downs. Going down is as demanding as going up to the base camp, so no matter how tired you are when you are in the middle of the trek, about to give up, you realize that you will have to go through the ups and downs again on your way down. In the end, moving forward is your only logical choice.

In order to grow as a person, you have to move forward regardless of the speed. Going backward is impossible in life, and staying still means you are spending your life doing nothing. While trekking, you can't just stay still unless you want wild animals to devour you as it gets darker and darker every hour. Even if you move slowly, you are way closer to the destination than standing still. The key is to move forward.

2. Optimism is the key to success

As mentioned earlier, the trek consisted of many steep stairs, zigzagging along mountains. As you climb up, you often see what seems to be the end of the climb. But as you go higher, you realize there are other steep stairs waiting for you on the side. I used this to my advantage and tricked my brain into thinking that the next stop is up there. Even though this was often not the case, it did help me push through and eventually arrive at the village (Chhomrong) atop the mountain to finally rest.

If you keep tricking your brain into thinking that something great is waiting for you on the horizon, you will eventually reach your goals. If you are working on your startup, no matter how bad your day gets, just remember that something great will happen on the horizon. You will either learn from the process of failing and create an even better startup, or you will hit the jackpot and sell your company. Then, you will be able to go through with it.

3. No matter how fast/slow you go, you will reach your destination as long as you move.

While trekking, no matter how fast or slow you are, everyone will reach the same destination. I was often the slowest trekker around, but I always arrived at my destination no matter how hard it got. I took it slow. If my body started feeling exhausted, I rested and enjoyed the view; if not, I moved forward one step at a time. There's no use in going fast when the race is a marathon. As long as you reach your goal, the speed doesn't matter.

If you are planning to travel the world or start a business, just start doing it, even if it's just a small step. Start listing out countries you want to visit or start drafting your business on paper. The key is to start taking steps towards your dreams regardless of how small that step is.

4. The worst day has yet to come.

On my first day, it was raining heavily, and in order to keep up with my schedule, I had to power through the rain, walking through sand and mud up a mountain, while a chilling wind blew through my bones for 3 hours straight. I thought this would be my worst day; I have never been so wrong. On the third day, I had to climb thousands of steep stairs to the top of a mountain and go down to the bottom to cross the river via a suspension bridge and then go up again. On my fourth day, as the elevation hit 3000 meters, I had trouble breathing, and I had to stop grasping for air more often and taking longer breaks than usual. The walk that should have taken me 2 hours took me 4 hours.

Life can sometimes be like that. The moment you think you had the worst day ever, you are hit with another and another. The key is not to EXPECT that tomorrow will be better or worse. Just deal with the problem today and that's it. Don't fill up your mind with tomorrow's problems. That is for tomorrow.

5. There's no such a thing as overnight success.

When trekking in the Himalayas, most people look forward to seeing snowy mountains and a beautiful sky, but that was not the case for the first few days of the trek. You have to walk through the forest, unable to see what you came here to see most of the time. It is not until you walk for approximately 32 hours that you start seeing snowy mountains.

In life, when you set off to do something, the end result will not take shape until you invest countless hours shaping it. Coming up with the idea is not enough; you have to plan, get your hands dirty, and then work for it. Just like trekking the Himalayas, you can't sleep your way up mountains; you have to climb those stairs if you want to be at the top.

6. Nothing meaningful is easy.

Many friends of mine were wondering why I had to put myself through all those tortures just to be in the middle of the Himalayas. Looking at photos from Google Maps is as satisfying and even more beautiful than the real deal. For them, a destination may mean something else, but for me, the journey shapes the destination. Without the conversations I had with many trekking friends, without the countless accidents I had during the trek (and fun stories to tell), without the hardships that I had to go through, the destination will have no meaning to me.

Just like in life, the money you received from your parents is less meaningful than the money you earned by working tirelessly every day. The harder you try, the greater the reward.

7. Trust is important for a meaningful life

I have been traveling alone for a while now, and even though I have met and talked with many travelers, nothing comes close to the deep connections I had with the people I met during the trek. Trekking brings out the rarest component in people: trust. Since you are in the same boat for the rest of the trek and will be meeting them every day from one lodge to another, your trust in these people tends to grow as time goes on. Since human contact is rare while trekking in the forest, people are more genuine and speak from their hearts. Everyone always says hi (Namaste in this case) to each other. People encourage each other along the way and exchange pleasantries even though we don't know each other's names.

The best thing you can give to people is your trust. Be open to the people you meet, and your conversation will become more meaningful. As life flashes before our eyes, we often realize how few friends we have in our lives. Be more open to people, leave a positive mark in their lives, and they will do the same for you.

"You have to get lost before you can be found." ― Jeff Rasley

Trekking the Himalayas was a life-changing experience for me. Once you are among the mountains, you realize how mortal and vulnerable you are. You feel that all the artificial problems you encountered in life are worth nothing up here. You look at people and how they struggle with their problems differently. You tackle your problems with the might of the mountains.

At the end of the day, the feeling of accomplishing this ambitious goal is the most rewarding of all. You have finally pushed your limits over and over, which in turn opens you up to more opportunities in life (Kilimanjaro, Everest, I'm looking at you). Everything is possible now.

Further Reading for Inspiration

Looking for more articles to help inspire you to travel more? Here are a collection of articles you might like:

• Hiking to the Everest Base Camp is one of the most memorable epic moments of my life. Here's a long-read piece about my experiences hiking the Everest Base Camp: On My Way To Everest Base Camp.
• Ever wondered what it is like to travel the world on a third-world passport? Check out: Traveling The World On A Third World Passport.
• Here's why I always celebrate turning a year older with a hike: Climbing Kilimanjaro On My 33rd Birthday.
• Are you currently planning a trip around the world and looking for cheap countries to visit? Here are the 13 Cheapest Countries To Visit in the World.
• Traveling in Europe can be cheap, really cheap. These are the 12 Cheap European Countries to Visit.
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• I truly believe we need more Asian representatives in the English-speaking travel blogging industry, especially for blogs about Asia. Here are the Top 10 Kick-Ass Asian Travel Bloggers To Follow.
• Did you know that you can travel without leaving your couch? Here are the 8 Great Travel Books You Should Read.
• For the best travel videos to inspire you to travel even further, here are the 20 Most Creative Travel Videos of All Time.
• If you are looking for travel vloggers to follow on YouTube that aren't cringeworthy, check out: 10 Best Travel Vloggers to Follow On YouTube.
• The best way to improve your photography skills is to learn from the best. Here are the 10 Best Photography YouTube Channels to Follow.
• A photo is worth a thousand words. Here are the 25 Most Beautiful Travel Photos I Ever Took From Around The World.
• Ever wondered what it is like to be a travel blogger during COVID-19? Check out: Being A Travel Blogger During COVID-19 - What Is It Like?
• Stuck at home and not sure what to do? Here are the 10 Best Things to Do When You Are Bored in Lockdown.
• Looking for off-the-beaten-path destinations to visit this year? Check out: 8 Best Off-The-Beaten-Path Destination to Visit.
• Can't travel internationally for the time being? How about traveling in your own country? Here are the 7 Reasons Why You Should Travel in Your Own Country.
• To find the most inspirational travel quotes and captions to go with your photos on Instagram, check out 34 Short and Unique Traveller Quotes for Instagram.
• We often hear bad stories about locals from travelers, but what about the other way around? Here are some of the Notorious Stories Of Terrible Backpackers.
• If you lost your bag while you travel, here is how to deal with the situation: My Bag Was Stolen In Germany.
• Have you ever felt that you do not belong in a place you were born in? Read this: Where Is Home? - My Quest In Search Of Where I Belong.
• People often preach about how important it is to live in the moment, but sometimes that may not be such a good idea. Here is The Problem With Living In The Moment.
• Solo traveling is not for everyone, and even though I love it to death, it is not always flowers and sunshine for solo travelers. Here are the 10 Things I Hate Most When Traveling Solo.
• Travel friends come and go, but that may not be such a bad thing. Here is why you should embrace your travel friends: A Life Of Brief Encounters.
• Hiking is life. Here's why: One Year Of Incredible Discomfort - 10 Things I've Learned From Climbing Mountains.
• Here's why having no plan is the best plan: Magical Things Happen When You Have Nothing To Do - The Art Of Doing Nothing.
• Is life getting you down? Here's why you can't always blame life for everything: Life Doesn't Suck. We Just Suck At Living It.
• Want to know why I chose to travel alone? Read this: We Travel Alone, NOT To Be Alone.
• For a meaningful solo trip, you need to share it with someone. Here is why Happiness Is Only Real When Shared.
• Traveling is no longer for the rich. Here is why: "People Think I'm Rich".
• Want to travel alone but scared that you might get bored out of your mind? Here is How To Enjoy Yourself And Have Fun While Traveling Alone.
• Want to start traveling solo as well? Here is What It's Like to Travel Alone.
• Here is a simple story on how I started traveling: F*ck It, I'll Do This Alone.
• For more inspiring articles like this, visit my Inspiration page.