By JENNIFER MOONEY

As a young woman I often stayed at the hotel right next to the place in which I really wanted to inhabit. Choices had to be made that only my meager income could support. Yet, I still frequented the more posh beachfront with the better cabanas and fluffier towels. This was an art that required me to behave like I belonged there.

This demonstration as a “regular” and one who has been there before has been more instructive than most more academic learning’s. In the world of originality, strategy and solving big challenges – experience counts – but even the most elder among us – (once in a while) are confronted with the truly “new” puzzle.

We have a neighbor who is one of the foremost mountain climbers on the planet.  He is a rock star as he has summited Everest more than any other non-Sherpa or Nepalese native. And between guiding teams to the top of the world, he squeezes in other “smaller” peaks.

His living requires impeccable judgment, the ability to read rapidly changing conditions, confidence without cockiness and the knowledge of having been there before.

Reaching the world’s most remote, coldest, treacherous and sought after summits requires a single-minded focus and rock-solid belief that it can be done knowing darn well that Mother Nature determines fate.  Mere mortals then get to leverage experience to determine course.

Kind of like what we do.

Though ad work is not quite as dangerous.

And some days are significant.

Climbing and communications have parallel skill sets. Judgment, experience, knowledge, prowess and belief in the conviction – that is can and should be done.

There is knowledge that comes with experience. There is experience that comes from mistakes. There is learning that accumulates as the year’s tick by. There is the “I have seen it before” and can make the call.

And there is the – it does not look and feel like the monsters of the past – but I know what to do.

Clients must believe in our confidence – without cockiness – so that we can best recommend. Some days the biggest challenge is not deriving the solution – but convincing others of the path.

Our local compadre just departed for some major spring/summer climbs. Not only will he likely summit (again) but also ensure that other climbers either get to the top or determine that Mother Nature has different ideas. Before departure his talk exuded the confidence of a guy that has been there before – but commences each ascent knowing the odds and challenges.

We learned that he had his six pair of skis fully tuned prior to departure. They would wait in his closet for his return. That’s a guy who knows that he is coming back – that believes in his own judgment – but most certainly will be wise in his maneuvers. His job is to coach the journey of others – while safely getting there himself.

Kind of like us.

As we age, we get experience. We also have the know-how to guide others. And sometimes we know that the best we can do is to travel the journey as one that we have been on before.

And respect powers larger than us.