Getting into hunting was always something I have desired to get into, but I never lived in an area where that was possible. That was until my family and I moved to Northern Idaho where you can pretty much drive up the road and you are in the National forest ready to hunt. Within a month of moving to Northern Idaho, I went on my first elk hunting excursion with a couple buddies. I was so excited! I could not wait to go even though I knew nothing about hunting, but I wanted to learn, gain experience, hang with the guys, and be alone in God’s country. I was up by 2am and on the road with my buddies by 4am to our destination in the national forest. It was still dark at 6am when we arrived.

Before 7am, we began to assemble all our gear so we could head up the trail before sunrise. What I did not notice, since the sun was not quite up, was how steep the face of the mountain was that we were about to embark on. It had snowed a couple days prior to our trip, so the trail was covered with a few inches of snow. Therefore, we decided to create our own trail and head straight up the face of the mountain to the ridge. Starting out it was exciting, fun, and everything went smoothly. I made it up about halfway up the mountain when my boots began to slip on the snow. Still, it was manageable, and we kept on moving.

It was a little tougher, but nothing I could not handle. I could tell we had reached an elevation where my lungs had started to burn and my heart began to pound, working on overdrive. But I had been waiting my whole life to be here. I knew I was born to be a hunter. Once I made it 3/4 of the way up the incline, however, the idea of turning back started to sound more appealing than continuing the climb. Before we had set out, my buddies and I created a system in case we got separated. Any one of us could, at any time, fire off 3 rounds from our pistol to alert the others that we were heading back down the mountain to the truck. I wanted so badly to take out my pistol and fire those three rounds and turn around. My boots had zero traction, and I began to slip every time I would take a step due to the incline of the mountain, the snow on the ground, and wearing boots with poor tread.

This was when the rubber hit the road. I was at a crossroads here. The voices in my head began to get overwhelmingly loud telling me, “Just quit. Give up. You do not have to do this. You’re not going to make it.” But I was determined to make it to the top. I was not going to throw in the towel just yet. I had to keep trying even though it was rough. Being the strong achiever that I am, I started to make up different solutions or ways to help me finish the climb. First, I began to dig out grooves in the snow with my hands exposing the dirt to make sure I would not slip. When my legs got too tired to do this and it took way too long, I started climbing on all fours. I got to one point where I was gaining momentum. Then, both of my boots slipped, and I slid down the mountain about 50 feet until I ran into a tree. I had never been so thankful for that stupid tree. If it had not stopped me, I would have kept sliding down, because my boots could not get enough traction to stop.

Honestly, I was fed up at this point. I questioned throwing in the towel. Thinking to myself, I should have listened to those voices in my head telling me to quit. At least then, I would not have spent so much time to get to where I was only to have to start over again. My hands hurt. My forearms hurt. My quads were on fire. My body hurt. My ego hurt. I had snow in my pants. I had snow in my boots. I had snow in my shirt. I was dripping with sweat, and now, I was IRATE. I wanted so badly to make it to the top, but I was not sure if that was going to be a possibility.

Finally, I just called out to my buddy who was up in the distance ahead of me. Letting him know I slid down the mountain and that I was not sure if I was going to be able to climb up the rest of the way, my ego was taking a beating. After talking to him for a minute, he suggested pulling me up with survival cord he had in his backpack. Now, I am a 220-pound man, not light by any means. I was not even sure the cord would hold me. But, again, I did NOT want to quit. “Let’s give it a shot”, I told him. He threw down the survival cord to me and surprisingly it worked. Slowly, surely, step by step, I started to climb.

I was stoked. Beginning again, with the help of my friend, hope started to rise. It ignited a fire deep within me to just keep going. I may have felt more like Bambi on ice than a conquering climber, but a little bit of hope goes a long way. The process was slow, but my buddy never left me. He walked the entire rest of the way up the mountain with me in tow. He would climb up so many yards ahead of me to a tree where he would stop to get support. Then I would climb up, holding the survival cord, while he waited and held the rope steady. There were times when I slipped and fell. But with the help of my friend, and the survival cord, I was able to pick myself back up, wipe myself off, and keep going.

Without my buddy, I could not and would not have made it. It would have been impossible. We eventually made it to the ridge, after 2.5 hours of pure hell, pain, bruises, and sweating like a pig, but it was a huge victory knowing I did not quit. I did not listen to the negative voices in my head. I persevered. I kept pushing. Had I thrown in the towel; I would not have experienced what was waiting for me at the top. Our other buddy had already made a warm campfire, and there was a priceless view overlooking the mountains which I really do not think I have ever seen its equal. Not to mention the joy I felt inside knowing I conquered this mountain (with help).

You are probably wondering why I told you this story. Well, the truth of the matter is that my journey as an entrepreneur has felt like climbing that mountain. I believe this story is a great analogy for young men and women of this generation who desire to be entrepreneurs. I have learned this the hard way. If you want to be an entrepreneur, you will have to possess the tenacity to persevere. This is even more true if you want to be a Kingdom Minded Entrepreneur. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

To be a Kingdom minded entrepreneur, you must be determined to persevere and push through adversity and pain no matter what. When issues, circumstances, and problems arise in your entrepreneurial journey, you must have made the choice from the beginning to allow perseverance to finish its work in you. Unforeseen issues will come up along the way, and these issues may stop you in your tracks. The entrepreneurial life will challenge you to see how deeply committed you are to the calling God has given you to impact the world for His Kingdom.

Just like my climb up that hill, this is where you must dig deep down and know your identity. You must know, like I did, that you were meant to do this, and you were not born to quit. You must hold onto the vision and the goal so that when you persevere, you will be mature and complete and lack nothing. I just want to encourage you today, whether you’re a serial entrepreneur, an aspiring entrepreneur, or just getting started on your entrepreneurial journey, keep fighting the good fight even when you feel like giving up.

I want to tell you, it is worth it. Eventually you will fulfill the God given destiny for your life, because you chose not to quit. Reaching your destiny will be painful and agonizing. It is the road less traveled. I truly do not believe you can fully step into the calling God has promised you without pushing through the wall of pain and agony. These barriers are the tests the Lord will use to build you up and prepare you along the way, so that you will not fail.

There will be many times in your journey when you must completely give a situation or your business to God, trust Him, and know He is going to help you climb the mountain. Just like I had to completely rely on my buddy to help me, you will have to completely rely on God to help you. I could not have made it to the top of the mountain on my own and you were not meant to reach your destiny on your own either. You need God’s help to get you there, and He is standing by with the survival cord of rope to help you climb. Perseverance always produced victory. You got this! Keep pushing! The Lord has already gone before you and has your back! You were born to win!