I talked to a guide about his experiences with these groups and he described and interesting phenomenon. He said that for most of those expeditions, the group stops at a halfway house where the climbers have lunch, catch their break, and prepare for the last leg of the rigorous climb. In variable some members of the group opt for the warmth and comfort of the halfway house and decide not to climb to the top. As the est of the group leaves, the ones who stay are happy and talkative. It's a part. But when the shadows begin to lengthen, many make their way over to the window that looks up the mountain. And the room gets quiet as they wait for the climbers to return. Why is that? They realize they've missed a special opportunity. Most them will never be in that part of the world again. They won't every have a chance to climb that mountain again. They missed it.
That's what it's like when people don't make the most of their talent, when they don't believe in themselves and their potential, when they don't act on their belief and try to make the most of every opportunity.
From "Talent Is Never Enough" by John Maxwell
