Koko Head: The 1,048 Step Challenge To The Top
When’s the last time you took on a challenge and didn’t think it would be that hard? Well, did you end up regretting your initial thought as you’re pushed to your physical, mental, and emotional limits? From a recent trip with my parents to Hawaii, one of my most memorable and challenging hikes to date that I’m happy to share more about is the Koko Crater Tramway to Kokohead Lookout. As I sat on the side of the railway with a few more steps away from reaching the top, I tried my best from passing out from potential heat stroke. It was a combination of persevering through that experience and recalling how I overcame my past challenges during my time in corporate that inspired me to share with you all today my tips and ways of thinking to remain composed in the face of adversity.
The Journey To The Top
To get a better sense of what I should expect before hitting the trail myself, I’ve read the reviews from All Trails and Google Reviews. Frankly, I was pretty unfazed and didn’t think the reviews were all that bad. I’d like to think I’m a pretty active guy - from hitting the gym at least three times a week and coming off a multi day trip from Mt. Rainier National Park the month before - I thought, “Seriously, Koko Head can’t be that bad as people make it out to be.”
Fast forward some 1,000 steps and I’m sitting to the side of the railroad tracks just a few steps away from the top and my body is absolutely exhausted. My legs are heavy, my body temperature wouldn’t cool down, and my head is short circuiting under the summer heat. The top wasn’t the only thing just moments away as I’m trying my best to recompose myself in the face of potential heat stroke too. Instead of envisioning myself standing high and mighty at the top without a sweat to break, the only thoughts running through my mind were 1) survive and 2) quit.
Now that you have a sense of what happened to me moments before the top, let’s take a step back and talk about the hike up Koko Head. First, I want to put it out there that the All Trails and Google Reviews are accurate. This trail welcomes hikers of all levels and ages while testing each individually differently. I’d say the most unexpected part about the experience was seeing a broad range of hikers. From day hikers going at their own pace, to trail runners bouncing up and down the railroad tracks, and to ladies in dresses wearing flip flops, there’s a pretty diverse audience making their way up and down the railway.
The first half of the trail wasn’t too bad - the planks wide and stable enough to not worry about bad footing and the gradual steepness of the incline wasn’t too abrupt. I’d say that it wasn’t until the halfway point when things started to become difficult. After I passed the halfway point - which is marked by a “bridge” suspended above ground without any support except for the aging railways - the overhead sun became much more intense as the overcast that once protected me passed by without a trace while the planks themselves became much narrower. This forced me to climb on all fours at times to avoid slipping on the steep steps and stumbling down back to the starting line.
As the fatigue crept into my body while I ascended, the afternoon summer sun continued to beat down on me - piercing through my base layer and burning my skin to a crisp. Something that made the experience more unbearable were the blasts from guns in the nearby firing range along with the bellows and blows of the horns from the local high school. The popping and the thundering of the two distinct sounds exacerbated the ringing in my head. The heat wave batters against my body and finds its way to my lungs - turning my insides into an air fryer. The water that once left a pleasant taste in my mouth seemed to do more harm than hydrating as the back of my throat heats up with every sip I take.
Not only did this trail put a physical strain on my body, but a mental and emotional strain as well. At the first cracking of thinking, “this trail is a bust”, the floodgates of my past difficulties from my days in corporate started to drown my mind. As I sat on the side of the railroad, feeling disoriented and miserable, the sight of the remaining steps to the top seemed to stretch even more each time I looked back from my position. By instinct, my body tells me to just quit rather than to put myself through more strain than I’ve already accumulated up to this point.
“If I started to make my way back now then it would be okay. It would be the right call to stop while I could before things got worse and potentially pass out.”
Oddly enough, as crappy as I felt while trying to keep composed, staring down at the 1,000 steps I hiked up sparked some sense of accomplishment and newfound strength. The visual aspect of overcoming 1,000 steps helped me realize that I had the power within me to march forward. Taking the bad with the good, in addition to recalling the tough times in sales and customer success, I began to recall all the lessons I’ve learned along the way to help me navigate through those tough times and succeed.
Lessons From My Past That Helped Me Shift My Mindset To Overcome Adversity
You need to be your own cheerleader at times.
People strive and continue to do their best under praise and positive reinforcement - especially when coming from external sources. Back in sales, I felt great to receive some positive and constructive feedback regarding a cold call from a coworker. Back in customer success, it made me really happy to hear from a customer that they value our time working together. However, there’s times where we may not have the luxury of receiving positive reinforcement from someone else and we need to dig deep in ourselves to keep going forward. Even when things are rough in the moment, by reminding ourselves of our past accomplishments, we can create this balance of opposites to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.
Don’t feel bad asking for help. It’s okay to look to other people for support.
Whether it was after a cold call session without anyone picking up the phone, or an encounter with a very passionate customer following a NPS survey, or when I just feel like I’m not getting the creative juices flowing, I look to outside sources for help and guidance. During this hike, just when I felt like I couldn’t go any further, this nice man from Europe heading up to the top casually mentioned to me, “you’re almost there” through his heavy breaths. I asked the man to repeat himself, not because I didn’t hear him the first time, but because I needed to hear those words again to help me refocus. Although I look back on it as a strange request at the time, I’m glad I did ask him since after that it sparked some newfound energy to keep going. Asking for help isn’t a bad thing to feel ashamed of. It’s not asking for help when needed is what can lead to the worst outcome.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Go at your own pace.
Pretty simple lesson, but so true. By human nature, it’s difficult to not compare ourselves to others and feel some type of way about it. Whether it was back in sales, customer success, or looking back on this hike, one question each case had in common was, “how are some people ahead of me while it feels like I’m stagnant?” Everyone’s motivations and the process they take to achieve their goals will vary person to person. It’s not a bad tactic to take best practices away from the people around you, however you need to apply your own style and power to what you’re working towards to. It’s okay to go at your own pace as long as you get to where you need to be.
Do your research and prepare beforehand. However, be able to adapt and have an open mind when it’s go time.
Knowing is just half the battle. Even though I had a sense of what to expect on the trail beforehand, it wasn’t until I was actually on the trail that I had to change up my strategy on the fly. This same process applies to back when I was in sales and customer success. I can do my research on my prospects and current customers, but it’s not until I hop on the call with them do I get a better sense of what’s going on. Sometimes, the info I have on hand may not be the most up to date which forces me to adapt to the present situation. Things don’t always turn out as planned and the initial expectations may not always align with what’s going on in the moment.
Reach for your goals, but enjoy the process while you’re at it. Great character is built along the way and makes for awesome memories.
I’m a big fan of the idea that we don’t do things because they are easy, but because they are hard. If the things we wanted to achieve are easy to overcome to begin with, then how is it that we can feel a sense of satisfaction for completing things against the odds? In sales, landing that meeting on the calendar is the goal. As sweet as it is to land that meeting, I’d say it’s sweeter to navigate that tough cold call which lead to the meeting. In customer success, seeing your customer win more customers is an awesome goal. I’d add that building the trust to become a reliable business consultant is a much more amazing feeling. Koko Head Crater was the goal to reach. I’d share that the most satisfying part came more from knowing that I scaled 1,048 steps to get to where I wanted to be.
Through the newfound sense of purpose from recalling these lessons while as I was running on fumes, I was able to reach the summit that seemed so far away to begin with. As I climbed the elevated metal box sitting atop the summit, I was greeted by a much needed refreshment of cold air breezing past my sweat soaked body. My heavy body, propped against two intersecting rails and my legs wobbling, took in all the fresh air I could inhale and stared out into one of the most beautiful views the island can offer. Although it was quite rewarding to accomplish something that I almost turned my back on, it was even sweeter to enjoy the process of getting to the end goal that made it all worth it.
Afterword
I don’t think challenges are a negative thing or something to run away from, but something to face head on. There are opportunities for growth and gain, but once the going gets tough, it’s hard not to think about throwing in the towel early and retreating back to a safe space. Next time when the going gets tough, I’d like you to take a moment to think of how you came out of the other side after pushing through a past road block.
Looking back at this hike, it’s bittersweet to recall my past history as I sat a few steps away from the top. Nonetheless, I’m happy to share these lessons I’ve learned and I hope you find them applicable, or at least think about hard times differently, the next time you’re in a difficult place. Thank you for reading, and in the meantime, safe travels, drink plenty of water and keep at it!
