It is such a glorious moment when you make it to the top!  The ascent can be literal, as in climbing a mountain, but it can also be figurative in many aspects of life and business. Whatever the pursuit, climbing is hard work; not only do you need to move steadily and maintain your footing, you must defy gravity in the process.  So why bother?

You could have posed that question to Brian Martin a couple of years ago, when he decided he was going to pursue an Executive MBA from the University of Florida.  He already had a great job, leading the Florida region for his company, having come off a successful stint leading business development; his job kept him very busy and was more than enough to completely fill up each week.  On the personal front, he had a growing family, with a wonderful wife plus a 2 year old and a 4 year old.  What in the world would possess Brian to take on even more at such a busy time in his life?

Judging from the look on his face at graduation with a UF-MBA after an arduous two year journey of late nights studying and long classroom weekends, you can see and feel the sense of accomplishment radiate from him.  He decided to make the climb, driven by a commitment to sharpen his business skills.  And he made it to the top, while managing to fulfill his job responsibilities and still spending some quality time with his family.

The thing about making it to the top is that the moment and feeling are fleeting.  It’s awesome, but it doesn’t last nearly as long as the process required to get there. The feeling of accomplishment lasts just long enough to reinforce why you did it in the first place.  That’s usually enough of a reward to make the trip worth the effort.

Most wouldn’t choose to add more stress to an already busy and successful life.  But Brian, and others like him, are not content with how things look today.  They want to make their world, and their lives, more meaningful and contribute at a higher level.  So they find a way to accomplish what others don’t, or simply won’t. They set a lofty goal and relentlessly pursue it.  Satisfaction from small victories along the way keeps them going.

There’s one more thing that happens at the summit. The view becomes panoramic and you can see much farther than you’ve ever seen before.  Suddenly distant peaks come into view and expose new paths to follow on life’s journey.  Congratulations, Brian, on your success.  Enjoy your well-earned moment at the summit.  I can’t wait to see what’s next!