12 Great Lessons About Entrepreneurship That You Can Learn From Hiking

entrepreneurship lesson

Hiking always comes with a lot of uncertainty. That’s because you are going on a road that is often less traveled. And what are the odds that you are traversing the trail for the first time? 

Maybe you have done your research on routes, read guidebooks, or connected with other people who had been on the same trail as you. All your hiking gears are ready, and you have done extra preparation by running every morning or working out at the gym. You made sure that both your mind and body are fit before embarking on a journey. 

Despite that, you know that you let go of this control in one way or another since you are still at the mercy of nature. This can translate a lot in real life as well. 

If you own a business or aspiring to be an entrepreneur, you can also learn a thing or two from hiking. Here are some of them: 

Always Be Prepared

The thing is, the more prepared you are, the more enjoyable the whole experience will be. 

The same principle applies to your business. When you’re more prepared to go out on your own and start something new, the more likely you’ll succeed. 

Being mentally prepared, looking for funds, and having the right mentor can make a huge difference. Plus, you will need these attributes in creating a profitable endeavor. 

Whether it’s hiking or business, both of these endeavors need some prep work and precaution. 

One Foot in Front of the Other

Hiking allows you to become a more successful entrepreneur in the long run. That’s because every hike needed to have a series of deliberately taken steps. 

Meaning, you need to put one foot in front of the other, rain or shine- so that you can reach your destination.

The same thing is true with any successful business. As an entrepreneur, you should know how to keep moving forward, no matter what the roadblocks, to reach your goals. 

Fear Will Get You Nowhere

As humans, we always have that fear of the unknown. There might be predators lurking in the woods. You might encounter cliffs, rough terrains, unpredictable weather.

Luckily, there are your trekking poles to help you with your balance more than anything else.

There will be plenty of unforeseen challenges along the way. Starting a business is no different.

Fear and challenges will always come up out of nowhere. Sometimes, it might even play tricks on you. You need to know how to manage your thoughts and emotions effectively. 

If you don’t reach your destination exactly the way you want it to, self-doubt and insecurity can easily creep in. There are times when it’s so much easier to quit. 

But the thing is, fear will get you nowhere. Realize that you’re so much better than that, and find the drive to keep pushing forward. 

Everyone’s Path Is Different

During your hike, you might come across serious hikers, along with families who just wanted to take their kids out for a stroll. You might come across mountain bikers and trail runners, as well. 

Just like in the world of entrepreneurship, no two people always have the same path or approach. 

If you constantly compare yourself with other people, stop.

Never compare the success of other people to your own. You might be earning less revenue compared to them, but you have a better life balance. 

Maybe you might not hire an employee, and you’re forced to wear many hats. It’s only you who know what your path to success is like. 

Life Isn’t Always Easy

Hiking, just like life, isn’t some walk in the park. You might have blisters, bruises, or you might run short of water supply. 

The moment you head off on one of those trails, you might face setbacks and challenges along the way, and it’s part of living. 

Facing these things can also make you stronger, spice up your life, and build your character immensely. Your journey wouldn’t be as exciting without these challenges, and you wouldn’t have interesting stories to tell. 

Your Mindset Matters More Than Your Muscles

While it’s true that you need to get into shape before hitting the trails, what’s important is your mindset. 

Although your body might endure a lot, the mind can also sometimes play tricks on us. Along the way, you might feel tired, worn, and beaten out. You might feel discouraged up to the point where you want to give up. 

That’s where a strong mindset is essential. 

In one way or another, if you slip or bruise yourself, you know that you need to get back up, try not to be upset, accept that you’ve hurt yourself, and carry on. 

Having a business is no different than that. Things may be scary, but you need to take that first step. You need to persevere and get over yourself in case things don’t often go as planned. 

If you don’t change your mindset, you’ll wind up feeling tired, discouraged, and beaten down. You’ll also miss that sense of accomplishment because you refuse to get back up. 

Have Small Goals

You might be standing at the foot of the mountain, and those peaks seem to be pretty far off! It felt as if it’s almost impossible to get there. 

What you need to do instead is focus on the task at hand and take one day at a time. Have small goals that you want to accomplish. 

Breaking the entire journey into smaller pieces makes it less daunting and makes your goals more achievable. 

Be Flexible

Sometimes, all the preparation before the hike will pay off. Other times, it won’t. 

You might find yourself setting off on a particular path, only to find that the weather or unavoidable circumstances will force you to turn around and take the other way. 

The journey certainly isn’t over, but it’s so different than you first thought it would be. 

So, don’t be afraid to be flexible. You’d find serendipity both on (and off!) the trail can be a beautiful thing. 

Stop to Admire the View

You need to stop every once in a while to admire the view. 

You may be standing on top of one of those peaks, knowing that it is one of the reasons why it took so much time and effort to get to the top. It’s probably to see and feel things you’ve never felt before.

Also, celebrating small wins allows you to keep going when times are tough. 

The same thing goes for business. Sometimes, you’re caught up in moving from one project or goal to another, and you fail to see how far you’ve come. 

So, reward yourself and your team for every small or big job they’ve done, and appreciate it as you would if you’ve reached the summit. 

Go Slow

When hiking sometimes puts you in a harsh environment. For instance, you might suffer from altitude sickness from mountains, even if you’re an experienced hiker. 

That’s why the key is going slow and steady. It’s not a race to the top, after all. If you’re going on high altitudes, it will usually take time for your body to acclimatize because of the lack of oxygen. 

You can apply this lesson to your entrepreneurship journey as well. You might go into the mistake of going faster than you should have because you wanted quick results. 

But the thing with starting and running a business is that it isn’t always a race. Always remember why you started a venture in the first place. There’s usually a process that you need to go through to grow and evolve. 

If you go fast, you wouldn’t have enough time to acclimate yourself to how difficult it is out there. Soon, you’ll go bust even before you realize it.

Value Teamwork

You won’t reach the top if you don’t learn the value of teamwork. Sometimes, hiking alone can be tedious. 

It will help if you are looking for like-minded individuals who have the same zest as you. Not only will it make your entire journey fun, but a lot easier. 

That way, if there will be times that you want to give up, or there’s an arduous climb, there’s also someone who will extend you a helping hand. 

The same is true if you’re continuing your journey as an entrepreneur. 

There will be times that you feel that you want to give up. These are when you need your employees, partners, team, family, and friends to offer you a hand. Having that push from others will give you the strength to keep going. 

It’ll Be Worth It

You wouldn’t get to witness the beautiful panoramic view from the summit if you didn’t hike several kilometers. This means that you need to conquer your fears, both in life and in business.

You might take a couple of wrong turns or mistakes, get bruised along the way, but it will all be worth it. 

After all, the road out there is always a big unknown. All you need to do is to accept the fear of the unknown and embrace it.

CEO HANGOUT

The inspiration behind CEO Hangout is to create a community of Chief Executives and business leaders who support and inspire one another to greater heights. As they say, it's lonely at the top. Let's change that.

CONTACT

For inquiries, contact info@ceohangout.com

TOP

© 2024 CEO Hangout. All rights reserved.

Search

Copyright 2010 - 2021 @ CEO Hangouts - All rights reserved.