January 16, 2009. For most, it was probably a day like any other. Even the internet had little to say that day, which is unusual. People talked about the ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, but that happened the day before. For me, January 16, 2009 was a day I’ll always remember.

I got up that morning after having spent six days on the side of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. Our son, Chris, and I slept fitfully on the cold mountainside during the night. Pretty much everything ached, and the limited air made tying our shoelaces a struggle. Put your hand over your nose and mouth as you read this, and you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about. We suffered varying degrees of altitude sickness as we faced a steep incline on loose rock in a whistling cold wind, battling fatigue, and, in Chris’s case, injury, with limited air to breathe.

We could hardly wait to get started.

The word “adversity” comes to mind, but only because it’s so often overused, especially by the sports community. Did we face adversity? I prefer to say we faced a challenge and save the word “adversity” for bigger things you’ll read about later.

The day would be the culmination of everything we worked for over a year to achieve. The day would change my life.

It was summit day.

I have spent countless hours reliving the adventure and making presentations about the climb and everything that went into it. I’ve thought long and hard about the changes in my life brought about by the adventure, and it made me reconsider everything leading up to that day on the mountain. With our fatigued legs, we slipped and slid on the shale, scrambled over and around craggy boulders, and wandered through lush rainforests and barren landscapes. As we neared the end of a long day of hiking, a voice from the back of the pack urged us to “keep swimming.” It was Chris reminding us that the way to the top was by persevering. It seemed so appropriate and spurred us on. We chuckled at the time as we peered through the fog and clouds in the seemingly endless distance to glimpse the flag where our next campsite should be. Two to three years later, I realized we did as Chris suggested. We weren’t swimming, of course, but we just kept climbing. Then it occurred to me that climbing that mountain, or any hill, is a metaphor for life.

We face all kinds of challenges in our lives that can seem like mountains, whether large or small. Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing became my mantra.

The only way to overcome challenges (reach the top of our mountain) is to keep going. Nobody’s path is a straight line throughout their lives. There are hills and mountains to climb. Our mountains could be any size, but they might seem like Mount Everest to us when we’re going over or, sometimes, through them.

They arise from an early age and stand in our way throughout our lives. From the time we start kindergarten, the challenge might be to find and keep friends. We’re expected to decide what to do with our lives when we near graduation. As we get older, the challenges start to pile up: job search, marriage, raising kids, aging parents, medical issues… The challenges never end, but the only way we can overcome them is to put one foot in front of the other and keep climbing.

When we decided to climb the mountain, I resolved to do everything I could to prepare for the climb, and whatever would be would be. Altitude sickness, fatigue, or some kind of injury, like a twisted ankle, might prevent me from making it to the top. My definition of success changed as I prepared for and started the climb, but my overall measure would be that I had given it my best shot. I didn’t want to leave anything on that mountainside. Even if I didn’t complete the climb, with enough training, I would be physically capable. If I still didn’t reach the top, it would be disappointing, but it could be considered a success.

There is no question we were privileged to be on that mountain that day. Nobody forced us to be there. It was a challenge we gave ourselves, and we found the financial means to go. Yes, I’m privileged, but I also believe privilege is gained partly through luck. I consider myself lucky to be born in Canada to parents who raised my three brothers and me with values and a strong work ethic. I consider myself lucky to have been raised on a farm near a small town. Some might argue that the late forties and early fifties turned out to be the right time to be born. But in my mind, privilege also comes from the choices we make, dedication, perseverance, taking chances, making mistakes, and a lot of hard work.

The preparation for the climb and reaching the summit changed my life, and I’ll try to summarize it. It made me realize that with dedication and hard work, we can reach our goals, or at least make our best attempt to do so. My lifestyle changed because of climbing that mountain. I continue to eat well and try to make exercise part of my weekly routine.

We used the mountain as a platform to raise money for the children of Tanzania and, over time, raised enough funds to complete four projects in that country and provide donations to the Wounded Warriors Canada service dog program, as well. That experience taught me that a person can not only change their own life, but with a little effort, we can also change the lives of others. The travel to Africa solidified my understanding that people are people everywhere. We all hope and dream. Because of circumstances beyond our control, we may not all have the same opportunities to reach the top of our mountain, but we all have it in us to try.

Sometimes, we need to look around for a little inspiration to give us the boost to dig a little deeper. Throughout this book, I’ll reflect on the lessons learned through my experiences and those of eight others. I was sixty when I climbed the mountain in 2009. Now, I’m on the downward slope of life, but I’ve enjoyed every minute. I’ve never stopped learning, and to learn, we must watch, listen, take risks, make our mistakes, and try again. Aging brings with it many positives, and one of the greatest is the benefit of looking in the rear-view mirror.

Life is backwards in a way. Later in the book, you will meet Edwin, who brought an African proverb to my attention, “What an elder sees while sitting, a younger man cannot see even if he climbs a tree.” We gain the wisdom we could have used in our youth as we progress through life. But the young have the option of listening to and learning from their elders while making their own mistakes. I hope this book will help with that process. I also hope, in a way, it will give our youth something to look forward to as we examine how age isn’t a barrier to fulfilling our hopes and dreams.

Two people gave me the same advice when I was considering climbing a mountain at sixty years of age. One was my brother, Keith, who was seriously ill in a hospital bed when Chris and I left for Tanzania. The other was my wife, Evelyn, who was going to stay home to write the blog while we tested ourselves on Mount Kilimanjaro. Both said, “If it’s something you want to do, do it.”

I’m not a philosopher or a psychologist. I’m an accountant who turned to writing in my retirement years. I’ve had a great life with a wonderful family who supported me each time I took on a new challenge. Whatever the challenge is, big or small, I see inspiration to just keep climbing everywhere.

It might be someone who has successfully taken on a life-changing journey, like our climb, or someone who has taken a risk to pursue their passion. It could be someone working their butt off to prepare for a challenge, who hasn’t quite reached their goal yet. Maybe it’s someone who has been to a personal hell and fought their way back. It could be the indomitable spirit of someone who is still in hell but putting one foot in front of the other just to keep going. They are all inspirational, and you’ll read examples of each one.

Eight people shared their stories with me for this book, and I’ll be forever grateful. They all had their reasons for facing their challenge, and their stories inspired me. I suspect not one of them realizes how inspiring their stories are. Some took a risk to chase a dream and caught it. Others overcame tremendous odds to defeat personal demons. Their challenges all came about by choice. They all had offramps to take, should things go wrong. One is courageously battling cancer, while another is in the middle of a conflict in his country. The latter two have no offramps; no choice but to face their challenges, and they’re doing it heroically. Each of these people is putting one foot in front of the other to meet their respective challenges. The stories are personal, emotional, raw, and uplifting.

Common themes are central to each of the stories. They are stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We can’t compare ourselves to any of them, but we can use their stories for inspiration and apply them to our own challenges.

Each defines success differently, and you’ll read how each satisfies themselves that they either reached their peak or are doing everything they can under difficult circumstances to make it to the top.

They all just keep climbing.