From the bottom looking up, that mountain peak is flawless. It’s snow-capped and jagged.  Sheer face cliffs blaze in the sun. Deserted of life and treeless, it stands. This mountain. This peak. It’s yours. Your life laid out before you. Everything is picture perfect. Your goals, your peaks, your valleys. The moments that defined you. The times that challenged you. The trials you did not think you would survive. Now you see the strength you possess is beyond any single thought that passed through your mind. It’s your life. Make every single step count.  

Sometimes it is easy to forget that we still have a long road to our best self. Standing on a diminutive peak, we congratulate ourselves on how much we’ve progressed. We become comfortable and complacent in our everyday routines and satisfy our ego by looking at who we’ve passed on the trail instead of looking forward to our next challenge. Evaluating ourselves objectively can be a grating experience. We excuse our mediocrity by comparing our lives to others less successful, less committed to self improvement. But although we defend mediocrity, we can never justify it. And so we reach the most difficult next step. Looking up. Comparing our accomplishments to the truly impressive in our fields and in the world. What have we done? Why are we proud? To hold yourself to the standards of the great is discouraging. The towering summit seems impossibly far. 

But we must look forward in order to move forward. To continue to grow, it is necessary to shatter our pride and build a path of dedication.   

We may hesitate to continue our hike toward the mountain summit because we are reluctant to give up aspects of our life that we enjoy. We see those at the peak as singularly motivated to one objective. Prioritizing our ambitions and concentrating our actions towards success does not prevent us from striving towards complex goals. There is no point in dedicating our life to a one dimensional version of our character. Though our goal can be simplified to becoming the best version of ourselves, we recognize that this comprises many disciplines and requires effort in several areas. We want to excel in all areas, so we begin many endeavors at once. This drags us into an unfortunate loop of excuses. “I’m doing so many things, I can’t give 100% of my effort to any of them”. We convince ourselves that our moderate effort towards multiple aspects of life is the same as performing exceptionally in one area. It is not. We find ourselves using the excuse of G.K. Chesterton, “if a thing is worth doing, then it is worth doing badly”, because it recognises any attempt as a level of success. It is a forgiving system that doles out participation points. Doing many things poorly does not add to our value. This is a strategy for surviving deadlines. To excel we have to prioritize taking meaningful steps towards our goals. Creating results depends on conscious, continued effort to meet our own standards. Excellence is possible with diligent effort and practice. 

Because we know that our goals are worthwhile, we know that they are worth doing well. 

At the same time, we recognise that the hike to the top is lonely. We are forced to take it at our own pace. We climb faster than some, slower than others. It may seem that we can only walk with people for a short while before someone falls behind. Occasionally we find ourselves unsure of the direction we should take. Why would anyone want that? The answer has to be that we enjoy the hike in its entirety. Regardless of our distance to the summit, we appreciate the beauty inherent in the journey. We accept that not everyone continues at our pace. We realize that the path is a long one, full of opportunities to climb, walk, run and rest. We also realize that we are driven to aim for the most intense challenge. That hitting roadblocks and setbacks can add to the adventure. If we wander through life without a goal of improvement, we will miss the highest joy of viewing our truest self. Many scenes from a mountain are beautiful. Still, there is only one highest peak. 

The mountain may seem desolate, but that is only because of our limited perspective.

We are here together. Some of us are waiting at the mountain peak. Others are still on the way up. We’ve forged paths and left markers behind to help you keep to the trail. We’ve left reminders to appreciate the scenic lookouts. We can’t wait until you make it. 

Credence Apex LLC was founded on principles of honest evaluation and direct action. What hides within each of us that is waiting to surface? When it surfaces, what steps are necessary to conquer that mountain and form you into your destined self?

We challenge you to grow, forming your strengthened character out of the single steps that you have taken thus far. Every improvement you are seeking is our directive. We encourage reflecting inward to identify purpose and looking upward to inspire progress. From pieces we fashion a path to overcome any mountain. The peaks you stand on stem from are the struggles you have already faced. We will continue to encourage you through these challenges. We want to walk beside you as you conquer your dreams and reach your unfathomable heights. Come with us as you blaze a trail towards your new self and improved life.