If you want to climb a mountain, perhaps the tallest mountain in the world, what do you think you would need to get to the top? What would you need besides equipment, shoes, training and favourable weather?
You would certainly need all these things. But the most important thing is the mountain itself. You need a clear goal. Without a clear goal reaching the summit would be impossible.
Too often, we get obsessed with the equipment and the training but have no clear goals. The best mountain climbing gear is of no use if you don’t have a mountain to climb.
Similarly, in life, we are often blessed with a good education, training and resources. We have family and friends who want us to succeed. But we need to have our own mountains and goals.
Once you have your own mountain to climb, everything changes magically. Suddenly, you have a sense of purpose. You want to climb that peak. You learn the meaning of the word discipline. You wake up early, you watch what you eat, and you train regularly. You speak to experts in the field and you read every single word about mountain climbing.
So discover your own mountain. Write down your goals. Transform your life!
A) Vocabulary
Please make sentences with the following words. Your sentences should show that you understand the meaning of the word.
Equipment – the necessary items for a particular purpose
Favourable – suitable, appropriate
Goal – Aim, plan
Summit – peak, mountaintop
Obsess – to constantly talk and worry about something
Purpose – reason, ambition, point
Discipline -control, regulation
B) Discussion Points:
- What goals do you have?
- Do you think it is important to have goals? Why?
- Write down your biggest goal at the top of a page in your notebook.
- Write down what you would need to do and to have to achieve this goal.
- In 4-5 lines write about someone you know who has achieved his/ her goal.
C) What is a metaphor?
A metaphor makes a comparison between two things that are unrelated. It helps to clearly explain an idea.
The mountain in this passage is your personal goal. Yourpersonal goal might not be to climb a mountain. You might want to become a hair dresser, or a chartered accountant or an interior designer. These are your mountains or ‘goals.’ The mountain is a metaphor for a personal goal that is difficult to achieve.
D) Please substitute the underlined words with another word /words or rewrite the sentence in simple words.
The underlined words are metaphors.
Example:
My brother was boiling mad when I didn’t return his favourite pen.
Boiling mad – very angry
His words are pearls of wisdom.
Their home was a prison.
In the summer the slide in the park is a hotplate.
His eyes were icy.
Laughter is the music of the soul.
He was a lion on the battlefield.
Vishal is the apple of his father’s eye.
I find it difficult to wake up in the morning, because I’m a night owl.
My sister is an early bird.
Avinash is a shining star. No one can match him for intelligence or hard work.
All our words are crumbs that fall from the feast of the mind – Kahlil Gibran
Audio courtesy Tara Kriplani: