“It is always fun to create the impossible,” Walt Disney said.

At the end of September, I made possible what for some is an impossible feat — I reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro at 5895 metres (about 19,341 feet) with seven other intrepid soul adventurers.

While climbing Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and the fourth largest of the Seven Summits, is not impossible only about 45% of all climbers who attempt the summit succeed. Climbing Kilimanjaro is a journey of the body, mind, and spirit and all must work together to reach the Uhuru peak safely.

This climb, which I took on both as a personal goal and as part of a greater mission to raise money to help provide a home for 40 abandoned children in Kenya, taught me about so much more than my physical limits. What I learned traversing the rocky edges, steep inclines, and dust-filled switchbacks of Kilimanjaro I can apply to many areas of my life—and what it takes to realize my own seemingly impossible dreams.

The wisdom I received from the Kilimanjaro guides (some of whom have climbed the mountain more than a hundred times) as well as my own techniques that I used to propel me to the summit became valuable life lessons.

Here’s what I learned climbing Kilimanjaro.

1) GO “POLE POLE.” Pole, pole is an expression which means to go slowly. As we climbed single file, a guide led us in very slow and measured steps about half the speed of a normal walking pace. At first it was difficult to walk so slowly, but soon we realized that was the pace required to acclimatize to the altitude and give us the endurance to climb anywhere from 5 km to 14 km a day. Just like the classic tale of the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the raceand reaches the summit.

It’s interesting to note that often extremely fit and athletic people who insist on climbing the mountain too fast, exhaust their muscles because they don’t give their bodies enough time to adjust to higher altitudes and lower levels of oxygen. Therefore, many who ascend the mountain too quickly succumb to altitude sickness, exhaustion, or both and fail to reach the summit.

2) FOCUS ON THE PRESENT… WHAT’S IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF YOU

One of the guides gave me this simple but profound tip: the key to climbing Kili’s steep and sometime treacherous inclines is to watch the person’s feet in front of you and focus only on the next few steps ahead – without looking up to see how far you have yet to climb or glancing below to see how far you’ve already come. Looking too far ahead or back will engage your ego and negative thoughts such as “I can’t go any farther,” “It’s too high,” or “I’ll never make it,” and immediately sap your energy. In other words, the key is to stay focused on the present moment, not worrying about the future or dwelling on the past, neither or which is useful in propelling you forward in life… or up a mountain. Many of us have heard of “being present” or “living in the now,” but for me this was no longer theory—it was a physical and immediate experience of this universal truth. Stay in the present moment and take one, mindful, step at a time. This one piece of advice helped me maintain my focus, energy, and endurance, and was probably the biggest reason I didn’t experience any symptoms of altitude sickness.

3) IF STRUGGLING, RE-FOCUS

If you’re thinking about the pain in your knees, the 1,000 metres yet to climb, or how you’re going to manage the next rocky cliff, you can instantly boost your energy by re-focusing on a higher, positive emotion such the joy and excitement of reaching the summit, the beauty of the nature around you, or the fun of the adventure rather than its difficulty. For example, after the 8-hour climb to the summit, I needed to re-energize for the 6-hour descent. Rather than dread the many kilometres I still had to descend, I imagined I was “skiing” down the mountain with my poles in the loose shale and made it fun. It worked; I completed our 14-hour day without injury or exhaustion. When you re-focus and engage the emotions of joy, fun, or love you immediately have more energy.

4) RAISE YOUR VIBRATION WITH MUSIC

We started on 7-km ascent to the summit at midnight with the intent to reach the summit by sunrise. In the pitch black, cold African night, we followed our guide with only head torches (like miner’s lights) to navigate our way through the rocks, loose shale, and dusty switchbacks of Kilimanjaro. It was a surreal, slightly scary, and profound experience—and a memory I’ll never forget. As we climbed the steep slopes and tried to catch our breath as we pushed toward the summit, the guides started singing African songs in the dark to lift our energy and our spirits. It worked. Every time they sang, I smiled, felt uplifted, and stepped lighter. Their songs and heartfelt energy carried us. The rhythm of our steps moving to the beat of African folksongs sung by our guides was pure magic.

5) TAP INTO THE ENERGY OF NATURE

Everything has energy – the trees, rocks, mountains, moon, sun, and the stars. Following the suggestion of a close African friend, I did an intuitive land reading and actually talked to the mountain, which I called “Mama Kili.” When I asked for a message she said, “I’ll support you.” And she did. Whenever my energy was flagging, I’d ask for her help and somehow miraculously we’d come upon a flatter path to walk, a place to rest, or a break in the clouds for the sun to shine through. Mama Kili had my back.

6)FEEL IT. EXPERIENCE IT. ENJOY IT!

I never set out to conquer Kilimanjaro, I set out to experience and enjoy it. I also held the mountain in great reverence, as I do all of nature, knowing its power to humble any climber. I felt every step and walked in a state of presence, like a Buddhist monk doing a walking meditation. When I felt twinges of pain or muscle fatigue, I simply acknowledged and appreciated my body reminding me that I was alive.

7) EAT. DRINK. REST. REPEAT. Climbing Kilimanjaro is a journey of both physical and mental endurance. I gave myself the best possible advantage by keeping my body and mind as healthy as possible with consistent physical exercise, training and healthy diet pre-climb. During the 8-day trek I consumed clean, nutrient-rich food, no caffeine, no alcohol, and 3 to 4 litres of water per day, as well as getting as much rest as I could in a tent on a chilly mountain. I never experienced any symptoms of altitude sickness, not even a headache.

8) DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE

An obvious, but critical tip… especially as the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere decreases as the altitude increases. A few deep breaths help you stay grounded, re-energize your body, and calm your mind. Then it’s much easier to keep calm and carry on.

9) NO ONE DOES IT ALONE

Without our exceptional guides, porters, and an amazing cook to nourish us, we would not have reached the Kilimanjaro summit, particularly one fellow climber who struggled with altitude sickness and other symptoms. Our lead guide (Leo) and three assistant guides looked after us physically, mentally, and emotionally—sharing everything from their mountain experience to their gloves, water, solar chargers (!), and their physical strength to support those who could no longer walk without assistance. Most importantly, they gave us their encouragement, kindness, and genuine caring.

The incredible porters carried 20 kg (45 lbs.) on their heads and backs of our food, clothes, tents, and everything else we needed; and raced ahead of us on the trails to have camp set up when we arrived. And they did it cheerfully!

It was beautiful to witness and receive such generosity, true service, and care—and a powerful reminder that on Kilimanjaro, as in life, no one reaches the top alone.