How to Prepare your Mind for Kilimanjaro

“Train yourself to believe that you can because those extra few seconds where you challenge your mind is where boundaries get pushed.”

If you’ve read anything we’ve put out there or watched any of our podcasts and Q&As about Kilimanjaro, you would have come across the much-repeated phrase that this experience is a “mind over matter game”. So, the natural next question is: “How do I get my mind ready for a life changing experience?” Here are some ideas we’ve found to be effective from our years of experience on Kilimanjaro.

FORGET ABOUT THE SUMMIT
The summit is only about 20 minutes out of a 7 day experience. By worrying about the summit from the first day on the trail you’ll bring unnecessary anxiety into an otherwise peaceful experience and you won’t appreciate the unique and unparalleled beauty that each day brings. The summit is not the objective of this mountain. Experiencing everything that this place has to offer is the objective of this mountain. Don’t forget that.

BREAK IT DOWN INTO MICRO-OBJECTIVES
Standing at the bottom and looking at the top is self-defeating. How on Earth are we ever going to get all the way up there? But, if we break it down in our minds as a series of micro-objectives, we’ll soon find ourselves on our way down from the top and wondering how time passed so quickly. If you’re signing up today, the only thing you should be worried about is getting your gear and booking your flight. The summit is hundreds of micro-objectives away.

DON’T BELIEVE YOUR LIMITATIONS
Try holding a plank.

“If you’re signing up today, the only thing you should be worried about is getting your gear and booking your flight. The summit is hundreds of micro-objectives away.”

When your hips finally sag think about what failed first, your core or your mind telling you that you can’t hold it any longer. Train yourself to believe that you can because those extra few seconds where you challenge your mind is where boundaries get pushed. On Kilimanjaro you’ll break down so many barriers and push so many limits that you won’t believe that you’re the same person walking off the mountain that was first walking onto it. But, you have to believe that you are capable. That’s 90% of the transformation.

AVOID THE ONLINE FORUMS
If you aren’t planning your own logistics or doing a self-sufficient ascent, the forums have absolutely no use beyond scaring you with someone else’s opinion on why they could do it but you can’t. If you’re joining an LHO trip, talk to your team leader who’ll give you honest advice and guide you towards making this experience happen. If it isn’t for you now, we’ll put you on the path to making it for you in the very near future.

MEDITATE ON YOUR GOALS
Really ask yourself why you’re doing this. It isn’t the summit, because the top of the mountain is a symbol of something deeper and more meaningful to you. Think about what you’re looking for and when you feel like you’ve gotten a little bit of clarity, hold that thought and let it mature with you as you go up the mountain. By doing that, you’ll find that this place is so much more than a trail to the top of a hill.