Goal Setting: 5 Lessons I Learnt Climbing Kilimanjaro
A perspective on achieving goals based on my experience climbing the highest mountain in Africa.
The climb was several years ago and remains the most difficult physical challenge I have undertaken. I have a photo of the Kili in my hallway, a reminder that each one of us can achieve the most challenging goals.
I was talking with a client about motivation and goal-setting, and we shared our experiences from both sides, as managers and employees, and agreed there is room for improvement in most companies. I believe we can make better use of behavioural science principles to set and achieve goals. We talked about how to use the intersections between the unconscious and conscious brain to help us set and achieve goals, tricks we can play and the power of purpose, which is becoming increasingly important in my goal-setting. And how we motivate ourselves.
As it often happens, later that evening, I thought about my experience climbing Kilimanjaro and reflected on how it relates to goal setting.
So here I share my experience climbing Kilimanjaro and what I learnt. It is also a clear-cut goal: you either reach the top or don’t.
The Kilimanjaro is a proper big mountain.
I had never climbed a mountain before, so it sounded like a crazy idea. But there is more: I had a difficult year, ending a long-term relationship, facing a challenging work situation, and experiencing a health scare. I am the kind of person who sees this as a reason to add another challenge to the mix.
A friend told me about her climb the previous year, and the seed was planted; the more I thought about it, the more it became the perfect goal to get over a challenging year. I didn’t think too deeply about the rationale for the goal at the time; it just felt like the right thing to do. With hindsight, the purpose was something like ‘the need to prove to myself I could do something difficult that I had not done before’ and to overcome the bad stuff I had been dealing with.
So, I had a goal and a purpose. That was enough to book the trip, which I did with a friend and as part of a group, with the support of an excellent team of guides and porters. I have always liked walking, but I have never walked for more than one day at a time and never at high altitude. My fitness level was just about okay, but I was getting out of breath when climbing a small hill! So lots of prep was required.
Some geographical information to set the context
Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world: 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level and about 4,900 metres (16,100 ft) above its plateau base. It is a volcano, and you walk around the rim. There are glaciers at the top, unfortunately fast disappearing.
The climb is 6 days long, non-technical (i.e., no ropes or harnesses), and you sleep in tents. A significant challenge is high altitude; at the summit, there is only 50% of the oxygen available at sea level.
There are two target points: Gilman Point is situated at the edge of the crater rim, at an altitude of 5,756 meters (18,885 feet), and you receive an official climbing certificate to reach it. However, the summit is Uhuru Peak, at 5,895 metres (19,341 ft).
It was a wonderful experience, and this is what I have learnt about goal setting
1. We achieve whatever goal we set for ourselves
There were 16 people in our group with various purposes for the trip: raising money for charity, personal challenges, and, for a newlywed couple, it was part of their honeymoon. Some people set their goals to reach the first target, Gilman Point (and get the certificate), while for others, it had to be the summit. Each reached the goal they set themselves.
Our mind and body prepare themselves for the goal we set ourselves. We get the adrenaline and what else we need to reach that goal and no more. We are set up to maximise resources and not waste them on something we don’t need. This is what high-level athletes and successful entrepreneurs do. It also reminds me of the quote, “The indispensable first step in getting what you want is this: decide what you want,” by Ben Stein.
2. Be aware of your limits
This rarely applies to other goals in such a crucial way. Because of altitude, you can get sick and die. It doesn’t happen frequently, but you must constantly be aware of it. It also occurs within a short time frame. We don’t get this level of immediate feedback for most goals. Awareness of your physical limits is very salient in high-altitude climbing. I remember a terrible headache on day 2; my first reaction was annoyance rather than fear. Fortunately, the headache disappeared. But it was a valuable reminder to be aware of my body's reactions, as I naturally tend to keep going and not listen to warning signs.
Unlike the immediacy of feedback during the climb, stress and burnout build up over a long period of time in our daily lives. This makes them more difficult to detect. I have experienced them and remember how the stressful situation slowly becomes the norm, and you get used to it. That’s why self-awareness is even more important when you don’t have immediate feedback.
3. Seek and follow expert advice
I am used to walking in cities. You walk fast to get to your destination and grumble at the slow tourists who are in your way. When walking with other people, I have to make an effort to slow my pace.
Because of altitude and lower oxygen levels, you must walk slowly. That was a real challenge, especially the first days. It is hard to change habits, so it’s important to come up with ways to trick your brain into doing things differently. My solution was to walk at the back of the group and talk with whoever was there at their pace. The plus side was talking with the local guides, so I learned much about them and their lives in Tanzania.
This advice also applies to seeking real experts when pursuing all our important goals, from marketing or financial expertise for your business to adequately researched nutrition advice. None of us can hold all the expertise we need, and it is essential — especially for entrepreneurs — to outsource and rely on others to maximise our time and effort.
4. Plan and adapt
There is always something we don’t plan for. My weak point on the climb was the cold. I was so cold at night that I barely slept for three nights; other people were fine; it was just my body not liking it. Moreover, sleeping bags and tents are not my ideal way to travel; I only do it if I have to. I went prepared: I had the thickest sleeping bag I could find, an extra silk layer, and I wore several layers of clothes. It was not enough, and I found out how sleep deprivation affects the capability to move and think. Looking back at the whole experience, this would have been the primary cause of my not reaching the summit.
In any life experience and work situation, there will always be unplanned, internal or external events that can stop you from achieving your goal. With self-awareness, we discover our weaknesses and develop tactics to deal with them next time. In my case, I know that the next time I go hiking in the cold, I will need to find a solution. We must learn to adapt to any situation; this can be adjusting or finding an alternative. Humans are resilient and creative and can generally come up with a solution.
5. The purpose
I conclude with the starting point: any goal must have a purpose. The problem is that it is often hidden in our subconscious, a few layers from what we tell ourselves and others. If you have read and followed Simon Sinek, you know what I mean. Like knowing our true life purpose, our main life goals are based on why we want to achieve them.
I remember a coaching session I had with a client. He was the most helpful and lovely guy, helping friends with DYI and colleagues with work projects. As part of our session, I asked him about the purpose of his job. When he replied ‘to make money’, I was stunned; it was my bias to associate that answer with a ‘greedy’ person, which I knew he was not. We explored the layers of that reply, and what emerged as a very different purpose, which was ‘provide financial security for my family’, and the extra layer was his parents being refugees.
Each of us has one achievement we are most proud of. Understanding how we approached it, why it was important, and what fuelled the determination to achieve it are useful insights we can apply to any other goal.