The Me Mountain
Why We Get Stuck - and How We Start the Ripple Again
Introduction: We All Climb It
There’s a place we all go.
Not physically… but internally.
It’s the place we end up when life doesn’t go the way we hoped, expected, or believed it should. When we’re overlooked, misunderstood, hurt, or simply tired of carrying more than we feel we should have to carry.
I call it The Me Mountain.
And if we’re honest… we’ve all stood on it.
What Is the Me Mountain?
The Me Mountain is where our focus turns inward.
It’s where our thoughts begin to revolve around:
What about me?
Why did this happen to me?
Why am I the one dealing with this?
Now here’s the truth - those questions aren’t wrong.
They’re human.
But when we stay there… something shifts.
Our perspective narrows.
Our patience shortens.
Our relationships strain.
And without realizing it, we begin to create a wake behind us instead of a ripple.
How We Get There
No one sets out to climb the Me Mountain.
We get there gradually.
A disappointment that lingers
A conversation that didn’t go the way we hoped
A season where effort isn’t matched with results
A moment where we feel unseen or unappreciated
And slowly… subtly… our focus turns inward.
Not because we’re selfish people.
But because we’re human.
The Hidden Danger
Here’s what makes the Me Mountain so dangerous:
It feels justified.
From the top of that mountain, everything we see supports our perspective.
We replay conversations.
We reinforce our position.
We build a case for why we’re right to feel the way we do.
But while we’re doing that… something else is happening.
We’re becoming more isolated.
More defensive.
Less aware of how we’re impacting others.
And the ripple we were meant to create?
It turns into a wake.
The Turning Point: Flipping Our Focus
The way off the Me Mountain isn’t force.
It’s not pretending everything is fine.
It’s not ignoring what we feel.
It’s a shift.
A decision.
A quiet but powerful question:
“What would it look like to turn outward right now?”
Instead of:
What about me?
We begin to ask:
How can I bring life here?
What does the other person need?
What would love look like in this moment?
This is the moment the ripple begins again.
Where the Strength Comes From
Here’s something we don’t always say out loud:
In our own strength… this isn’t always possible.
When we’re hurt, frustrated, or exhausted, everything in us wants to stay on the mountain. To hold our ground. To protect ourselves.
And that’s where we’re reminded…
We were never meant to do this alone.
The ability to truly shift our focus - to look beyond ourselves in the middle of real circumstances - comes from something greater than us.
For me, that source is Christ Jesus.
It’s in His strength that I’m able to step outside of my own perspective…
To see beyond the moment…
To choose response over reaction…
To bring life when everything in me wants to pull inward.
And for others, that may be understood as a higher power.
But the truth remains:
When we rely only on ourselves, we stay stuck.
When we look beyond ourselves, we find the strength to step down.
What Changes When We Shift
When we flip our focus:
We listen differently
We respond instead of react
We give instead of guard
We create space for healing - both in others and in ourselves