My name is Amanda and I am going to tell you the story of the first time that I climbed a mountain. Due to the fact that I live in the mountains, my family and I decided to hike the mountain located behind our house. So, one sunny day my family and I decided to set out and conquer the mountain and the challenge that awaited us. After packing up our backpacks and making sure we were hydrated, we set out on foot to the bottom of the mountain. At that point, the reality really sunk in. I was about to climb a mountain larger than me, larger than life, and I was going to conquer it one step at a time.

Standing at the bottom of that mountain, I felt like I was two centimeters tall. As I looked up, I realized that I’m not going to let this mountain win, that I was going to conquer this mountain one step at a time. As I began to put one foot in front of the other, I looked back and realized that I had only gone about a quarter of the way up the mountain. That meant that I still had a long way to go. I stopped for a quick break to hydrate and resumed going up the mountain. Continuing up that mountain took so much endurance and perseverance. The more I looked up, the more I realized there was a lot more terrain to cover before I reached the top. I was so exhausted; my legs felt like a tub of Jell-O-O I wanted to give up and turn around and just give up. But realizing that I wanted to conquer this mountain and not be defeated, I pursued on.

As I climbed the last little but of terrain left, I had finally reached the top. The feeling that overwhelmed me from my head, clear down to my toes, and that feeling was the feeling of accomplishment, adrenaline, and the all-around feeling of pure happiness. I felt like I was on top of the world and as I looked down, I could see my family struggling to keep up with me. As I decided to turn around and go back down the mountain I had realized that I am truly capable of anything that I put my mind to; it’s mind over matter.

All in all, this experience taught me that anything is possible. Believe that you can do anything you want to do if you just put your mind to it. I am living proof that you can do anything. I climbed a mountain when I was physically exhausted, and just wanted to give up and turn around when the going got tough. From the beginning, staring at that mountain feeling like I was two centimeters tall, to being at the top of that mountain and feeling like I was on top of the world. I thought that nothing could ever touch me or harm me; I had a realization that anything is possible if you just believe and put your mind to it.