Encouraging someone to “Take a hike” can be interpreted two totally different ways.
As an idiom, it suggests that the recipient is being told to “Get lost.” Under this usage of the phrase, the deliverer of the message would prefer that the other person leave their presence…sooner than later.
The person whose presence is being requested to depart has likely provided the requestor a good reason to be asked to leave. The “hiker” has likely generated a level of agitation to deserve the gesture.
The other version is what I would encourage those struggling in the worlds of life and leadership to do…take a hike. When the burdens of the world are heavy, when demands exceed capabilities, or when the treadmill of life and leadership is running at an unmanageable pace…take a hike.
Take a Hike
City offices were closed in observance of Good Friday this past week. My daughter, Ashtyn, who is a freshman at Kennesaw State University doesn’t have class on Fridays. We both enjoy hiking, so we decided to take one.
Our intentions were to drive to Mulberry Gap Adventure Basecamp Camp in Ellijay, Georgia. It’s located about an hour and thirty minutes away from where we live in Acworth, Georgia. Ashtyn had to be at work early that afternoon, so we woke up early, stopped for breakfast, and started our adventure.
Hiking provides plenty of time to think, here are three things that I reflected on along the way:
Take the Detour
About an hour and fifteen minutes into the trip, we were passing through Chatsworth, Georgia. Ashtyn looked out the window and noticed some large mountains just to our east. She pulled out her hiking app and found that Fort Mountain State Park was just a few miles away. We decided to take the detour.
The demands of life and leadership can script our paths forward. The GPS system that guides our travels always takes us on the most direct path. Sometimes though, detours can interrupt our journeys when we least expect it.
We don’t always look at detours as positive experiences. They generally create delays, costing us valuable time in our travels.
The good part? Sometimes they take us places in our journey we never would have went otherwise. That can be a good thing. For Ashtyn and I, it was that day.
Look Up
I can be an intensely focused person, at times hyper focused. When I’m hiking a new trail, that intensity can show itself. Add to that, I have one of my most prized possessions following me. As a father, I am Her Protector.
The intensity of my focus drew towards rocks on the trail that could cause us to stumble, wet areas where we could slip, random creatures stirring up noises, or the danger of dead trees along the path.
The deeper we got into the hike, the more I heard, “Dad…look!” “Dad…look, those flowers are so pretty.” “Dad…look, a butterfly.” “Dad…look, at the waterfall.” “Dad…look, at the view.” Every time she said it, it made me look up. Each time I did, the view was well worth it!
The grind of life and leadership can keep our heads down. We become overly focused on the potential chaos and crisis of the day. The wasted energy on worrying about the things that may never come to fruition. Time restraints, distractions, and stressors keep us focused on the obstacle right in front of us.
There is a lot of beauty to life and leadership…if we just look up. It’s the sudden reminder that allows us to see beyond that next step that offers the opportunity to see the good beyond our circumstances. When we look up, we see the blooming flowers, butterflies, waterfalls, and the majestic views this world truly has to offer.
Awe and Wonder
Even though she is eighteen and in college, she is still my little girl. When she looked up, I saw Awe and Wonder in her eyes. Whether it was the butterflies, flowers, flowing water, or the views, it was simple awe and wonder.
Life and leadership can easily scorn us. There is something about The Innocence of a Child and their outlook on life that I envy. The further we go on this journey, we see and experience more, some of those experiences can taint the way we view people and this world.
When the grind of leadership has our vision clouded, look at the world through the lens of a child. There is so much awe and wonder still left on the journey if we choose to see it. This world has so many awesome things to offer us. The lens of awe and wonder changes everything when it comes to perspective.
Conclusion
I led the entire way. It wasn’t because Ashtyn wasn’t capable, she was perfectly capable of doing so.
Our hiking order reminded me of the tremendous responsibility that we have as parents to lead our children down the right path. We influence them each day with every step that we take. Even the moments where we stumble and even the moments when it’s hard to push forward. They are watching and learning from our daily hike.
The same principles apply to leadership. Those that we are entrusted to lead are watching our daily hike. Every peak and valley is within their Vantage Point. Leadership is a tremendous responsibility.
Both are worth the hike, just take it.
