Have you ever set a big goal and then failed to achieve it? It happens to the best of us. Last week, it happened to me.

It was about 9 am and the sky was starting to clear at the top of Mount Borah, Idaho’s highest peak at 12,667 feet. We had been steadily ascending since 5:30 am, starting with headlamps and climbing poles, I was on my first “real” hike – ever. My skillful guide (and brother-in-law) had steadily encouraged our ascent, despite the clouds of mosquitos dive-bombing us from every direction. We passed 11K feet and I had shed the climbing poles, taking an ungainly hand-and-foot scramble up the unmarked trail. My breathing increased and my anxiety was through the roof. We reached the infamous “Chicken Out Ridge” when I looked across the ridge at a climbing companion. His hands gripped on sharp rocks, feet balancing precariously on an uneven ledge – looking to me like spider man grasping the side of a skyscraper in the metropolis –with a look of sheer terror on his face.

Nope. No thank you. I officially “chickened out” and turned around, tail tucked as I passed fellow hikers on their anticipative climb. Disheartened, I did not accomplish my aim.

Have you ever experienced a similar stumble on your path to accomplishing a big goal? Have you ever wondered why?

During the next few hours of “quiet introspection” in my lone descent, I considered the journey, trying to determine the source of my failure. I understand that “fail” is “first attempt in learning” and wanted to grow from the experience. Ironically, I am writing a book about achieving epic goals and I realized, that I broke my own rules by neglecting few key components that lead to success. I hope that you can learn from my mistakes as I share a couple tips to help guide your next ambitious goal – whether it be in the workplace or personal.

1.      Align with a purpose – Largescale goals are best accomplished when aligned to a greater purpose. An inspiring leader is one who can help team members understand how their own goals support a broader company purpose. As author Simon Sinek says, “A small team, committed to a cause bigger than themselves can achieve absolutely anything.” I had no reason for this climb. My brother-in-law invited me, and I said, “Why not?” I decided that next year when I summit Borah, I will hold a fundraiser and hike in honor of our friend, Kelly, who recently passed from cancer – who also once made the momentous climb.

2.      Allocate milestones – My big miss on this climb was preparation. I did no training, no practice, and had little information about what I was getting myself into. I read one “beginner’s guide to climbing Mt. Borah” and then turned my attention to other things. If you have ever lacked preparation, you know how I felt. Next time, I will write my goal and plan how to achieve it. This will include more research, some shorter hikes up mountains, and practice scrambling on rocks. I have done this in the past and it works! Author Catherine Pulsifer said it best, “We do not develop anything with one giant step. No matter who you are, or what you do, each one of us had had to take a lot of individual steps to accomplish a task, a job, a career, or even a hobby.”

3.      Master your mindset – We took two trucks to the trailhead, “Just in case someone chickens out and doesn’t make it.” Although this was kind of my brother-in-law (and wise since one of the hikers with us had turned around last year), it gave us all an easy out from the onset. Have you ever given yourself or your team members easy excuses for not achieving goals? (Supply chain? Difficult customers? Lack of resources?) Instead of taking the “in case we don’t achieve it approach,” I’m looking at this with a growth mindset. You have likely heard of this – the mindset with which you thrive on challenge and believe your skills and abilities can be improved through hard work. I will use this experience to learn and focus on what I can achieve in the future, not what I did not achieve this time around. Take note, improve, and try again. Look out Borah, I’m coming for you!

What’s your audacious goal? Consider purpose, milestones, and mindset to accomplish it. And when you reach the top, I’ll see you there!