DETERMINATION

4/2/2013

As a kid I used to climb “Ilalo” a low mountain with a steep incline. This weekend I took my kids hiking there. We got up early, dressed light got plenty of water and we were ready for our expedition.

At the bottom of the hill we encountered an older man who was climbing with the help of a cane, dressed semiformal, a casted arm and a hearing aid… we said hello and left him behind. I wondered how far up the mountain he will get at his age.

Our path up the mountain had 13 wooden crosses spaced out to the top. We passed all 13 and 2 hours later, after a hard climb we reached the top! At the top we found the last cross standing about 10 meters tall.

After catching our breaths and enjoyed the view we decided to head back down. To our surprise, as we start our descent we meet the older man that we left behind. He was almost at the top, climbing in a steady pace.

I approached him and voiced my respect and surprise by his stamina. I asked, “ How old are you?” and he responded by asking me to guess … 70? ... He laughed “keep trying…. I am 83.” This incredible 83 year old climbed to the top while having a broken arm, using a cane, no water and dressed in dressy pants, sweater and leather shoes. Incredible!

Who is this man with so much will power and determination?

Angel Agusto Chediak Hernandez Garzon! We learned from him that this mountain, during Holy week, people climb as a pilgrimage. Angel decided to climb and accomplish his pilgrimage.

All week I have been using Angel as an example of mind strength for my kids to understand what a person can accomplish with determination, inspiration, and working hard towards a goal! You become unstoppable!

Determination is defined as firmness of purpose; resoluteness.

We all have been in a situation where we were determined to accomplish something but quickly found a reason not to accomplish our goal.

How easy is it to find excuses?
How easy is it to quit?
How easy is it to forget our goals?

I keep reminding my kids of Angel, because I want them to understand that something worthwhile takes a lot of work and most importantly, determination.

“One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.”- Napoleon Hill

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9 Comments

isabela fraga abaza rosenfeld

4/2/2013 08:10:08 am

that guy was awesome!!!!!!!!! he had a lot of energy and he made it to the top.

Mauricio

4/4/2013 03:28:00 am

Agree, he is awesome.

Belleza, gracias por tus comentarios

David Kemp

4/2/2013 09:20:34 am

This reminds me of an experience I had several years ago when I lived in Alaska.

I awoke one beautiful morning and decided to climb one of the popular local mountains with a friend.

It was a good climb...not too daunting, but one where you definitely have to pause a few times to catch your breath. After a few hours of climbing, we were taking our final break before the summit when an elderly man approached from the trail above.

We were in shock just seeing him. But after speaking with him, we discovered that he was 86 years old! ...and he appeared 86 years old! LOL! He was a bit feeble, also walked with a cane and seemed, no surprise to us, exhausted.

We had a very pleasant conversation, with him telling us that, "on a day as beautiful as this that it was important to get our and enjoy God's creation." I couldn't have agreed more.

He went on to say that he had made this trek several times a year for several years. At his age and in his somewhat feeble state, we were in awe.

We commented that it was a difficult climb, having the courtesy not to add, "at your age."

He responded that, "anything worthwhile in life is difficult, but that is no reason to not try and that we will never know what we can accomplish until we put one foot in front of the other."

Again, I couldn't agree more.

He ended our conversation with a jolly and energetic, "See you boys later...have a great afternoon!" He disappeared down around a curve in the trail with one final wave of his hand.

An amazing encounter!

But...

...a few moments later we heard a terrible racket!

From around the corner where he had disappeared came a helicopter with our new friend hanging out the door with one hand while laughing hysterically and slapping his thigh with his other hand.

As they say...

"Where there's a will, there's a way!"

4/4/2013 03:27:07 am

Great story!
Agree..."Where there's a will, there's a way!"

Thank you for sharing

4/2/2013 09:29:41 am

By the way, I might add that I now live in Cali, Colombia and that there is a popular mountain to climb here also. It is called Tres Cruces.

I have climbed it many, many times...even daily for a couple of months.

And in my climbing I have met several people in their 70's and 80's...even one man who was 93!

I also knew one man who I saw frequently, always running--full speed--both up and down the mountain. He was 74 at the time!

Again, as they say...

"People are amazing!"

I enjoy your Facebook page! From one writer to another, thanks for the encouragement!

4/2/2013 09:29:51 am

4/2/2013 09:30:11 am

Ataques de pánico link

4/3/2013 02:26:02 pm

Fabuloso artículo . Lo citare en mi blog www.ataquesdepanico67.blogspot.com

4/4/2013 03:26:04 am

Gracias!

I Love Failure

DETERMINATION

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