mountains will humble you

In my last article, I wrote about the adventure, beauty, and lessons learned from years spent in the mountains. The memories are incredible. The views are unforgettable. The experiences changed me forever.

But the mountains teach another lesson too… Humility.

The mountains — especially the big mountains — are stunning. They draw us in. We hike them, climb them, ski them, hunt in them, fish their rivers, and camp beneath their stars. We chase adventure there because something deep inside us comes alive in wild places.

But if you spend enough time in the mountains, you eventually learn something important: The mountains do not care about you. They don’t care how tough you are, how experienced you are, or how many accomplishments you have. The moment you stop respecting them, they have a way of reminding you exactly how small you really are. And they can do it fast.

Humbled by the views, and by the level of effort required.

What is Humility?

Merriam-Webster defines humility as freedom from pride or arrogance. The Bible goes deeper. Scripture frames humility as having the proper perspective of yourself in relation to both God and others. It is foundational to wisdom, character, and leadership.

One of the best Biblical descriptions I’ve ever heard is this: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less.”

Jesus was, of course, the ultimate example. Despite being divine, He willingly took the form of a servant and humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross for the sake of others. That level of humility is difficult to comprehend.

What about Selflessness?

I’m certainly not going to argue with Scripture, but over the years I’ve come to think about humility in a slightly different way. It feels like humility and selflessness are related, but not exactly the same.

Selflessness (again, to me) is really “Thinking of yourself less.” It is one of the defining traits of a great teammate. The best teammates I’ve ever known — whether in sports, business, or combat — consistently put the mission and the team ahead of themselves. Nearly every act of heroism I witnessed involved extraordinary selflessness. As it says in John 15:13, “Greater love has no man than this, than he lay down his life for his friends.”

Selflessness is about how often you think about yourself (in this case less frequently), and Humility is how you think about yourself (in this case not with pride or arrogance).

Humility is the belief that you are not better than anyone else. You’re not above carrying the heavy load. You’re not above taking out the trash. You’re not above correction. You’re not automatically entitled to respect and you’re certainly not entitled to victory. You have to earn that. This mindset changes everything.

It makes you a better teammate because you’re willing to do whatever is needed. It makes you a better competitor because you prepare harder than you opponents. Arrogant people rely on talent, reputation, or even past performance. Humble people rely on their preparation. They don’t think they are better, or worse. They are just more prepared.

That’s one of the great paradoxes in life: Real confidence often comes from humility.

Selflessness = Service = Sacrificing for others…

Life will Humble you!

I learned that lesson early. I learned it from my parents. I learned it on the farm. I learned it through sports, school, my first job, and every job since. Every time I started feeling a little too proud of myself, life had a way of knocking me back down a few notches.

“Pride goes before destruction.”That verse exists for a reason.

Humility matters because arrogance blinds you. Arrogant people stop listening. They stop preparing. They assume they’re above failure. That mindset eventually catches up to everyone.

Life has a way of exposing weaknesses. The mountains do too.

Humility in the SEAL Teams!

People are often surprised when I say the SEAL Teams made me both more confident and more humble at the same time. But both are true.

Making it through SEAL training and earning your Trident absolutely builds confidence. You survive one of the hardest military training pipelines in the world. You accomplish something most people cannot. That changes you. But the process also humbles you — constantly. You fail. Repeatedly. You get cold, exhausted, discouraged, and overwhelmed. You realize very quickly that you are not superhuman. Then you arrive at a SEAL Team and suddenly you’re surrounded by the greatest warriors our country is capable of producing. They are often more capable than you. That’s humbling!

One of my troop chiefs used to tell us: “Never believe your own hype.” Coming from him, that statement carried weight. He was a highly trained martial artist, combat veteran, and legitimate war hero. If anyone had earned the right to believe his own hype, it was him.

But he understood something important. The enemy get a vote. They carry guns too, and they only need to get lucky once. If we became arrogant, stopped preparing, or assumed our reputation alone would carry us through, eventually someone wouldn’t come home.

Preparation mattered more than ego. The same principle applies in the mountains. The mountain does not care about your résumé. Past performance does not ensure future results!

Finally made it. Earned a trident. Became a SEAL, about to get HUMBLED!

The Mountains are Dangerous!

The mountains can humble you in countless ways. Sometimes it’s dramatic — avalanches, falls, lightning, altitude sickness, or storms that roll in faster than expected. Other times it’s something much smaller. A wrong turn on the trail. A twisted ankle miles from help. Wet clothes, dropping temperatures, and fading daylight. The mountains don’t always defeat people with one catastrophic moment. Sometimes they simply let small mistakes compound until the situation turns dangerous. Whether hiking, hunting, skiing, fishing, or climbing, the common thread is the same: nature punishes complacency. The higher and farther you go, the less room there is for arrogance. In the mountains, confidence is useful. Overconfidence can get you killed.

The mountains are beautiful, but they are never tame.

I’ve spent time in the mountains hunting above 13,000 feet, skiing in avalanche terrain, climbing glaciated peaks, and sleeping in conditions cold enough to freeze water bottles solid inside the tent. I’ve seen weather change in minutes. I’ve watched experienced people struggle with altitude, exhaustion, dehydration, and fear. The mountains have a way of stripping life down to the basics. Nobody cares what you do for a living. Nobody cares about your status, accomplishments, or social media following. The mountain doesn’t care about your résumé. It only responds to preparation, awareness, discipline, teamwork, and often a little grace from God.

Humbled again… this time with a bow!

You Don’t Conquer the Mountain!

There’s an old saying: “You don’t conquer the mountain. You conquer yourself.” I understand the sentiment. The mountains do force you to confront yourself. Your comfort. Your fear. Your weaknesses. Your attitude. Your excuses. Long before the mountain becomes physical, it becomes mental.

But after enough years in the mountains, I’ve come to believe something slightly different. You never conquer the mountain. You simply hope the mountain tolerates you long enough to accomplish your goal.

The mountain was there long before you arrived, and it will remain long after you are gone. It is unmoved by your plans, your ambition, or your confidence. At best, you endure what it throws at you and try to make good decisions while you’re there.

That’s why the mountains are so valuable. In a world full of noise, ego, self-promotion, and artificial importance, the mountains tell the truth. They remind us that we are small. Fragile. Temporary. Dependent on things far bigger than ourselves.

And strangely enough, that’s part of why we love them.

Because somewhere between the suffering, the risk, the exhaustion, and the beauty, the mountains have a way of stripping away illusion. They force honesty. They force perspective. They force humility.

The Next Mountain

Life is full of obstacles to navigate, challenges to overcome, and mountains to climb. Thankfully, for those of us fortunate enough to live in America, access to clean and safe drinking water is not one such obstacle. We are also fortunate to have access to medical treatment facilities and basic healthcare.

The same cannot be said for those living in West Africa, where clean drinking water and medical treatment are hard if not impossible to find. These things we take for granted are scarce luxuries for others.

This summer, a few of us climbers are going to climb Kilimanjaro to raise money and awareness for Global Partners in Hope. The funds raised on this expedition will go towards new water wells and medical treatment facilities in Benin (West Africa).

We are facing a challenge, navigating an obstacle, and climbing a mountain by choice. The challenge they face there, the obstacles they navigate and the mountains they overcome are not by choice, and in many ways, far more dangerous.

You can help by following along on our expedition page. If you want to contribute without even getting off the couch, please consider donating to the cause.

Onward and upward!