To get to a pinnacle requires trekking uphill.

Not too far from Charlotte, there is a place called Kings Mountain. The Pinnacle Trail is a 4.2-mile hike that rewards you with a world-class view at the top. One hot Saturday morning in 2010, my roommate Adam and his girlfriend Jamie, and my girlfriend Amy and I decided a hike was exactly what we needed.

So the four of us loaded into a car and headed out, thinking it would be a nice walk with a payoff at the end. It started off easy enough, but as the trail climbed, so did the heat. What we assumed would be a casual hike turned into a long, sweaty grind.

There were moments when quitting would have made sense. We were tired, uncomfortable, and very aware that the trail was only getting steeper. But we kept moving, and eventually, we got to the top. We were exhausted and covered in sweat. But standing there together, looking out over the view, it was obvious the climb had been worth it.

Years later, that hike still comes to mind when I think about something John Maxwell said so simply and so well, “Everything worthwhile is uphill.”

Think about it. The dream of the view is free. Anyone can picture it or Google it. But actually seeing it with your own eyes requires effort, commitment, and a willingness to keep going when the climb stops being comfortable.

That is where most people get stuck. They start with excitement, but when they realize what the uphill really demands, they stop and convince themselves the view was overrated anyway.

But you know better. You understand that uphill is not a sign you are doing something wrong. It is a sign you are doing something meaningful. You do not have to sprint, but you do have to keep moving, regardless of the pace.

Here is the part that still makes me smile. Those two couples who hiked 17 years ago eventually married within a few months of each other. Both couples have two great kids. Both are still married. And both are still walking uphill together.

Because everything worthwhile is uphill.

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