Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind, and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet. I understood on some dim, detached level that the sweep of earth beneath my feet was a spectacular sight. I'd been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally here, actually standing on the summit of Mount Everest, I just couldn't summon the energy to care.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Reaching a dreamed-of goal can feel anticlimactic, as the reality doesn't match the emotional release imagined.
- In plain terms
- Achieving a big goal might not feel as exciting as you thought it would.
- What can you take from it?
- Expectations often exceed the reality of achievement.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did a goal feel less exciting than expected?
- Why do we romanticize outcomes?
Another view
Sometimes the feeling comes later, not at the moment.
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