I recently moved and during the last week of packing what I call my “last to pack first to open bare essentials” I was a little surprised by a case of wine I had so lovingly extracted from the bottom shelf of my kitchen pantry. Trust me, the mere existence of this wine in my pantry wasn’t the surprise, that fact that the box was completely full is what surprised me.

I know what you’re thinking, “wine elves”. Don’t I wish but no, I’m the one who filled each and every compartment in that case. However, I wasn’t really paying attention each time I added a bottle so when I saw that the box was full I had to pause. You see this particular box contained the markers of my milestones hit during the past year and a half.

Those who know me well know that the past 3-4 years of my life could be described as “quite challenging”. I had to dig myself out of a pretty big hole that someone else’s circumstance threw me into. So about a year and half ago I started rewarding myself with a very nice bottle of wine each time I hit a milestone I mapped out in order to get to the point at which I am today.

I was always faithful in purchasing each bottle within a day or two of hitting a milestone. Each bottle carefully selected and definitely cost way more than I would typically spend for an everyday table wine. The bottles I selected were what I call the “dream delish” bottles I always have on my wine wish list. This ritual was my commitment and my mental reinforcement to keep doing what I was doing. They were reminders that I was moving forward and it was the one small thing that helped me stay focused on the bigger picture.

It was a ritual that turned my challenging mountain into a manageable molehill.

A year and a half later I’m unmistakably moving forward. Packing up everything and was getting ready for a move. What may have seemed like a simple move to most was a pivotal point for me. However, in my determination to keep eyes looking in a forward direction I must have forgotten all the hard work that went into getting to this point.

That’s what caught me off guard when I pulled out that case of wine.

It was at that moment when I saw that case completely full I realized just how many milestones I hit in the last 18 months. Simple math says I hit a milestone every six weeks. I had worked so hard for so long, I was in the trenches but so focused yet I never truly realized just how much I was accomplishing along the way. If not for the twelve quantifiable pieces of evidence in that box I might have continued moving forward without ever realizing how hard I worked to accomplish this goal.

I wonder how often we do this. How many times in life do we work towards a goal but once we reach it forget to look back at all we did in order to achieve it. Acknowledging each and every milestone after the fact I think could be the most powerful aspect of reaching a goal.

For me that case of wine was an acknowledgment on my own behalf of how truly amazing I am. I realize now that I rarely appreciated my accomplishment’s  big or small in the past.  And maybe I just haven’t appreciated “me” enough…but I’m certain to do so going forward.

Now here lies the big question…

Do I get the drink the wine now seeing that I’ve reached the goal or do I need to hit new milestones in order for each bottle to be opened?

I am,

The Urban Mountaineer