Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim in one day is not for the faint of heart. It’s a distance of 25 miles with drastic temperature changes and an elevation gain of 5,500 feet all at the very end. Completing the hike in one day like my friends and I did makes it even tougher. Why do it? Why put ourselves through 120-degree heat, blisters, and exhaustion? For the same reason hundreds of people do the Rim to Rim for the first time. It’s to discover what we’re capable of and to experience the astonishing beauty of the Grand Canyon up close.
The experience of hiking the Rim to Rim changes a person. Because I endured a mentally and physically challenging feat, I see myself differently. For years, I use to be in complete awe of people I knew who had done the Rim to Rim. “What?? You did the entire thing in one day?!”
Now I am one of them. The experience unlocked a new level of confidence in myself.
But you don’t have to do something as extreme as the Rim to Rim to see what you’re capable of. You have opportunities in your everyday life.
Confidence is created and there are three things you can do regularly to create more of it in yourself.
#1: Try something challenging.
Confidence doesn’t come from things that are easy. If something makes you nervous or scared, it’s a good sign that it will be a challenge for you. Don’t shy away. Instead, get curious about what it would be like to accept that challenge and ultimately succeed. You won’t find out unless you try.
#2: Talk to people with experience.
Preparation is key when taking on a challenge or new experience, and one of the best ways to prepare is to talk to people who have experienced the same or similar thing. I talked to people to who had done the Rim to Rim to gain understanding about what to expect, how to train, and what gear to bring and wear. By the time I took my first step at the top of the North Rim, I was confident I was mentally and physically prepared to the best of my ability.
#3: Take one step at a time.
It’s go time! Every single step take gets you closer to your destination. My journey from the North Rim to the South Rim took 60,000 steps! Some of these steps were easy, some were downright strenuous and painful, and some were exhilarating. To make it to your goal, you have to continue taking step after step until they add up to one mile and then 25 miles and then you find yourself standing on top of the world! The feeling of accomplishing a challenge is priceless and worth it. But it all begins with a single step.
The confidence you create stays with you and will propel you to accomplish even bigger things in your life.
You may even start to consider doing the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim–in a single day.
