A difficult period at work.
A major change ahead.
A decision with no obvious answer.
Something we know we have to go through, even though we would rather not.

Standing in the valley, the mountain ahead fills our view.

Then we start climbing.

One step. Another. Sometimes confidently. Sometimes wondering whether we chose the right path after all.

Eventually, we reach the top, we stop, breathe and then descend on the other side.

And something curious happens as we continue walking.

We turn around — and the mountain looks smaller with every step we take.

The mountain has not changed.

We have!

We now know that we crossed it.

That does not make the difficult part less real.

Nor does it mean every challenge ends neatly.

But experience changes perspectives.

Things that once seemed impossible become part of our story. And sometimes the knowledge that we made it through one mountain gives us more confidence for when the next challenge appears.

Perhaps perspective is not always something we can find before the journey.

Sometimes we only discover it after we have made it through.