做困難的事

What brought you all the way from HK to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro by yourself?

After breaking up from a toxic relationship, I left Hong Kong and spent 2 months crying in Malaysia, completely lost and heartbroken. By chance, I met a few American girls who shared their story of hiking Mount Kilimanjaro. I was curious since doing a grueling 9-day hike without showering is not exactly every girl’s dream. One of them said it had been a complete reset for her after a heartbreak. For the first time in months, I felt curious. Desperately needing a reset, I visualized myself shedding my pain and depression, evolving into a renewed person at the summit of Kilimanjaro.

The research and training gave me purpose. Instead of forcing myself out of depression, I realized that finding curiosity again was what truly helped. The climb itself was no joke. On one of the hardest days, after 9 hours of relentless uphill hiking, only focusing on the next step kept me going. Looking at the summit felt overwhelming, but reminding myself that each step brought me closer to it was the only way to get through it.

The hardest times passed, but only by putting one foot in front of the other, and focusing only on getting that done. When I finally reached the top, I cried with everyone.

The experience will always be a powerful reminder - that I can do hard things, but only one step at a time.
- ANASTASIIA

Reflection: What is one small step you can take today towards a goal or healing process?

結束了一段有毒的感情後，我帶著破碎的心離開香港，去了馬來西亞。那兩個月，我在迷失與淚水中徘徊。一次偶然的相遇，我聽到了幾個美國女生分享攀登乞力馬扎羅山的故事。我對此感到好奇，畢竟九天不間斷地徒步，還不能洗澡，實在不是每個女生夢寐以求的體驗。一個女生說，這次旅程讓她從心碎中重生。那是我第一次渴望重啟，擺脫痛苦的契機。我想像著站在山頂的那一刻，脫去過往的傷痛，重獲新生。

這次旅程的研究與訓練，讓我重新找到了目標。我發現擺脫抑鬱是不能強逼的 - 而是通過重新感受對生活的好奇心，漸漸走出低谷。攀登的過程極其艱難，其中九個小時不間斷的跋涉中，我只能專注於下一步，不敢抬頭看遙遠的山頂。一步又一步，我告訴自己：離目標更近了。

最艱難的時刻終究過去了，但只有靠著一步接著一步地走，專注於當下，才能走完這段路。終於到達山頂時，我與同行的人都哭了。

這次經歷成為我一生的提醒 - 我可以做難的事，但唯有一步一步專注於當下，方能抵達終點。

想一想: 為了實現目標，今天你可以踏出怎麼樣的一小步？