Shooting for the Summit - A Metaphor for Life and Business

Last month I took a much needed vacation to one of my favorite environs, the desert, and spent some time in Zion National Park, Utah. At the time we planned the trip, we had no intention of tackling one of the park's crown jewels, the Angels Landing trail. We had read about it (strenuous, not for the faint of heart) and heard about it from others ("I was never so scared" and "...unlike anything else I have ever done") and decided to embrace being chicken and play it safe and stick to more moderate hiking. However, about two weeks prior to the trip, I got the bright idea that we should do the hike and use it as a metaphor for life. Needless to say, this brought sideways glances and "you've got to be kidding" looks from my partner. Let me start by saying Angels Landing is not a Mt. Everest and plenty of people hike it each year. That being said, however, it is one of the most challenging and unique pure hiking experiences in the National Parks. Angels Landing is one of the 6000+ foot peaks within Zion. In order to get to the top you must hike 2.5 miles one way to the top and climb almost 1500 vertical feet. What makes it most special is the last