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“And now what?” the little girl asked

Francisco Miraval

After a recent snow storm in Denver, I had to remove the snow from driveway. Across the street, a neighbor was removing the snow from his driveway, but he used it to build a “mountain” for his young daughter (no more than 3, perhaps 4 years old). Under the constant supervision of her parents, the little girl climbed the “mountain” and proudly stood at the top.

After a moment of silence and another moment to keep her balance, the girl looked at her parents and said, “And now what?” A very good question indeed.

Let’s stop focusing on childhood adventures, like the one we suddenly saw, and let’s focus on us, adults. After all, we also have small and tall mountains we must or wish to climb. And then, when we are at the top, when there is no higher place to go, we also say (implicitly or explicitly), “And now what?”

After we achieve our goals and reach our objectives, when our dreams finally come true, or after that unforgettable experience, almost spontaneously we ask, “And now what?”

We put all our efforts until we land the job we ever wanted or until we find our true soulmate. Or, moving to more tangible elements, we but a new car, or a bigger TV set, or a more intelligent phone. Or we spent years studying until we finally get our degree. “And now what?”

Sometimes we focus so much (and it is good to do it) only on our goals, that, in in doing so, we become blind to whatever lies beyond the horizon that represents the “top of the mountain” experience. Then, being at the top and seeing the “new” horizon, we ask “And now what?”

The little girl across the street didn’t know what to do. She was clearly wondering about staying at the top, trying to climb down, or waiting for her parents to help her. Achieving what she wanted “paralyzed” her thoughts and her actions. And we experience something very similar.

Once we reach the top of the mountain, if we are not properly prepared, we will also be paralyzed, frozen. As Nietzsche said, we will be alone and cold. Perhaps that’s why an old tale says that the wisest way to get to the top is to be guided by an angel, a divine messenger (who may not necessarily be outside ourselves).

Unfortunately, very seldom we are prepared to reach the top. For that reason, once we reach the top, the apex, the zenith, we usually fall down. For example, I know the case of a man who opened a restaurant. It was very successful and attracted many people, forcing the owner to close the restaurant because he was not prepared to be so successful.

In other words, many of us struggle to reach the top only to become victims of the “success trap” and then we fall to new lows. It is important, then, on the way up, to seriously ask “And now what?”

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