The difference between Mountain People and Valley People

There are two types of people in this world, valley people and mountain people. Valley people seek the calm and comfortable ground of shelter, safety and security. They may talk about change but do not want to be involved in it, especially if this means breaking from the routine of what has worked okay up until now. Their concept of achievement is not losing, so playing for the draw to them is all that's needed. Their concept of fitness is being fit to survive. They are the people you meet who sentences begin with; "I would have", "I could have" or "I should have". They are the almost people, who have many explanantions for not making it themselves but only one for those who have - LUCK. They talk about the risk of losing and yet they are losers - they just do not know it.

Mountain people have decided that valley life is not for them and seek to test ambition on the toughest climbs. They know that there is a rich satisfaction in reaching the top and the fight thats needed to get there. They live for the test of change and enjoy the resilience required to bounce back from the bumps and bruises that come with the mountain territory. They not only talk about change, they deliver it. They take the risk of winning because to them there is no such thing of a risk of losing. People can lose without training or practice, it comes quite naturally, so where is the risk in that? They know achievement is not always reflected in a gold medal but is always measured by the excitement of knowing just how much further their best shot takes them, when they take the risk of winning. Achievement is balanced on the finest of edges but they know that. Whatever the outcome of the contest, they are always accountable for the result. They are winners and they know it.

This has been written for mountain people, people like you. It is about people who succeed, who achieve, who win and who intend continuing to do so. Each of us has mountains to climb, they may not all be Mount Everest, but they are still your mountains. They can arise in our family and social life, in our business life and in our personal life. You know what yours are!

I wish you all the success you deserve, not only in climbing your next mountain but in climbing all the mountain ranges where your ambition and dreams will surely take you.

Extract from "Winning" by Frank Dick