Growth Looks Like This (And It’s Not Always Pretty)

I used to think wellbeing was about balance. Eat well, move often, sleep more, breathe deeper. You know, the usual prescriptions. And for a while, those things were enough. But over the years, especially since starting a hiking and adventure company, I’ve realised that wellbeing isn’t just about managing stress or feeling calm. It’s about doing hard things on purpose. It’s about choosing the path with the hill, even when the flat trail looks tempting. Because on the other side of that hill… something changes.

Recently, I had the chance to climb Adams Peak in Sri Lanka. We started in the dark, weaving up thousands of stone steps under a blanket of stars. Locals surrounded us, including families, elders, children, some barefoot, many with walking sticks, some slowly, some briskly, but all with purpose. This wasn’t just a hike. It was a pilgrimage. A challenge accepted not for ease, but for meaning.

And alongside them was our group. People from all walks of life, some of whom weren’t sure they’d make it. I saw nerves, doubt, a bit of “what have I signed up for?” energy. But step by step, with encouragement and humour and shared snacks, we kept going. The top came slowly but surely and when it did, it wasn’t just the sunrise that took my breath away. It was the smiles. The quiet tears. The way our group stood up straighter, proud and a little stunned by what they’d just done.

That’s the thing about challenge. It strips away the noise and shows us what’s underneath. And more often than not, what’s underneath is stronger, more resilient, and more capable than we thought. Watching the Sri Lankans making their descent—some in silence, some in joy—I felt deeply honoured to witness that culture’s relationship with struggle. With reverence. With growth. It reminded me that challenge is not something to fear. It’s something to invite. With community, with reflection, with care.

Recent research on post-traumatic growth, growth mindset, and resilience is backing up what I’ve felt in my gut for years: that doing hard things, on purpose, can transform us. But the challenge alone isn’t enough. We need to reflect on it. Make meaning from it. That’s when the magic happens.

That’s why I’m now deep in my capstone project, writing a systematic review on how education enhances the power of physical challenge interventions. I want to understand how we can better support people through the messy, magnificent journey of doing something hard and growing from it.

Because growth doesn’t always look like a straight path. Sometimes it looks like a steep mountain, uneven rocky paths, and legs that want to quit. But it also looks like support. Laughter. Missteps. Regrouping. And the absolute thrill of saying, “I did it.” To me, wellbeing isn’t about having it all together. It’s about having the courage to fall apart a little and learn who you are in the rebuilding. That’s what I see on every hike, and what I felt, deeply, at the top of that sacred peak.

We don’t need to wait for life to throw us a curveball to grow. We can choose challenge. We can choose to climb. And in doing so, we come home to ourselves.

Want to join us on an adventure like this? Explore our upcoming trips HERE or drop us a line at hello@takeshapeadventures.com.au