May MuseLetter series 1/4
Through April, we navigated the Middle Miles together. We learned to find our rhythm in the fog and to trust our internal compass even when the horizon was hidden. We’ve emerged from crossing the moors—a journey of persistence that often required us to make progress on a long, horizontal plane.
But as we leave those Middle Miles behind and turn toward the final push of our journey, I want to take us away from the rolling hills of England and onto the ancient peaks of Machu Picchu.
Here, the terrain changes suddenly and sharply. Everything feels different because, as you get close to your chosen summit, the air thins and the incline becomes increasingly steep. It is demanding, it is breathless, and it is where most people consider turning back.
But I know, and you know, that we’ve got this.
Welcome to the Final Push.
In my upcoming book, Rise. Discover. Emerge., I share a pivotal story from the sacred grounds of Machu Picchu in Peru. Today, I’m going to give you the “expedition notes” of that story.
What many travelers don’t realize when they arrive is that there are two very different sibling peaks overlooking the famous hidden city. The first is Huayna Picchu. It is the iconic, jagged mountain you see in every classic postcard. It is the “popular” climb—sharp, fast, and distinctly masculine in its energy. It is a sprint to a visible, celebrated, panoramic finish.
The second is Machu Picchu Mountain. It sits directly opposite the citadel, and it is significantly higher. The path is significantly longer. It is a grounded, “feminine” peak that requires a deep, internal steadying to reach the summit—one that offers not just a panorama, but a magnificent 360-degree view.
This was the peak I had set my eyes on. So, this was the peak I climbed.
The Strategy of the Second Summit
Throughout May, we will be looking at what is necessary for this Final Push. This week, we start with your Head—your strategic center. It needs to look at the “peaks” currently standing over your projects. It needs to draw a detailed map toward the career transition or personal transformation you have chosen to climb.
When we are tired from the Middle Miles of any journey, we are strategically vulnerable. Our brains are biologically wired to seek the path of least resistance. We find ourselves looking for the “Huayna” path—the one that is well-traveled, looks impressive, and lets us say we’re finished, quickly, even if it isn’t the path that’s meant for us.
We are tempted to settle for the “Standard Peak” just so we can finally put our boots away and rest. But here is the question your Head must answer: Is it my True Summit?
In leadership, the Final Push is the moment of truth when we decide whether we are finishing just to be done or to be impactful. Settling for the “other” peak often means delivering a project that, for you, is 90% of the way there. It’s functional, it’s “good,” and it meets the minimum requirements. But if your original vision was a truly 360-degree view, that 10% difference in effort is not a luxury…it’s the destination.
That 10%, the “Machu Picchu Mountain climb”, is where your real power is born… It’s the difference between a completion that is witnessed and a completion that is truly and deeply felt.
My Mountain-Mirror
I am standing at this very crossroads as I speak to you. As I navigate the final line edits, the minute design proofs, and the structural refinements for Rise. Discover. Emerge., the temptation of the “Other Peak” is real.
Strategically, I could have chosen the Huayna path weeks ago. I could have hit ‘print’ on a manuscript that was “good enough.” It would have been seen as a success and looked like a victory to the outside world. But my Heart’s heart… my center… reminded me that the True Summit of this work isn’t just having a bound book in my hand.
My Heart’s True Summit is to push every single sentence and image until I strongly believe that it serves as a clear, steady guide for your ascent.
Choosing the higher path of rigorous refinement is the only way to reach the 360-degree vantage point I intended when I first sat down at the trailhead of Chapter One. It requires me to ignore the fatigue of the middle miles and look at my map with fresh, strategic eyes.
Your Strategic Peak Check
This week, I invite you to take a seat on your own plateau and look upward. Use your “Head” to perform a clinical audit of your current goals:
- Identify the “Huayna” Path: What does a quick finish look like for your current goal? If you stopped today, or if you just “pushed through” to the most obvious finish line, what would you achieve?
- Define the “Machu” Path: Look higher. Is there a vantage point that your vision actually requires to truly feel the success? Is there a depth of quality, a final conversation, or a layer of refinement that changes the project from “finished” to “transformed”?
- Check the Map against the Mission: Are you choosing your finish line based on your truest intention, or are you letting your fatigue choose it for you?
A Word on the Next Ridge
Now, a word of caution as you look at those steeper stairs. I know that for many of you, the voice of perfectionism might be whispering that if it isn’t the highest peak, it’s a failure—and that sounds like a recipe for burnout.
Let me be clear: The Head chooses the peak, but it must be aligned with your Heart, because your Heart must manage the climb.
There is a fine, vital line between High Standards and the soul-crushing trap of Perfectionism…
Next week, we will dive into the Heart’s discernment, we’ll discuss why “Perfect is the enemy of Good,” and talk about how to know when your “Good Enough” has actually reached the level of Excellence, and we’ll learn how to know when YOUR summit has truly been reached, so you don’t spend your life climbing a mountain that has no peak.
But for today, your job is purely strategic:
→ Look at the map.
→ Ensure your boots are pointed toward the peak that offers the view your soul actually came for.
→ Don’t settle for the panoramic view when your 360-degree truth is just a few hundred feet higher.
I’ll see you on the mountain.Rise to the challenge. Discover your inner strength. Emerge as the leader you are meant to be.
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