Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the Live Inspired podcast with John O'Leary for this week's

Monday moments. They are created to help you start your week on fire with a quick burst of inspiration.

Shortly after I graduated college, I drove with two friends through the night to the maroon

bells, the most photographed mountains in Colorado. As soon as we got there, we grabbed our packs

and ventured toward the trailhead. After only a few minutes of walking, we were already

winded, but we marched on. The air got colder, the oxygen thinner, and the snow began to fall,

but we soldiered forward. Finally, there was a clearing in the path, the summit. We made it, exhausted,

but victorious. I gazed out into the clearing and took in the mighty maroon bells.

They were majestic, and then it hit me.

They appeared absolutely no closer than when we had begun our journey hours ago.

All that hiking, all that effort, and we'd made no discernible progress.

Mountaineers referred to this as false summit.

On a mountain, this psychological letdown can be deadly.

And yet, this is an experience you've likely had even if you've never set foot on a mountain.

Like, when you finally finished the laundry, only to realize the

kitchen is still a mess, or when you graduate college, only to realize you're $100,000 in debt

and you need a job, or when you bought the dream house, only to realize it came with a mortgage

that requires paying, a yard that needs

mowing, and a roof that loves leaking.

But my friends, rather than being disappointed when we experience a false summit, we can

choose instead to realize that it's not about getting to the top, but instead about enjoying

the journey toward it.

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