Expect Nothing. Appreciate Everything.

It’s taken me a long time to realize that this phrase unlocks my peace and helps me live with curiosity, self-reflection, and rhythm in my environment.

Last weekend, I climbed alone and didn’t see another person all day (though I did spot some large mountain lion tracks at 10K feet). Sixteen miles round trip, cutting in untouched trail through dense snow that felt like cement.

I turned back about a thousand feet below the summit. I didn’t bring the right safety gear this time - no crampons, no ice axe, no helmet. The mountain made the decision for me.

It reminded me of my time in Nepal, where the native climbing culture centers on humility and respect. Guides often say, “The mountain permits, or it does not.” You don’t conquer it, you move with it”.

There’s another word they use often, Bistaarai, it means “slowly, gently”.

It’s not about pace; it’s about awareness. That rhythm changes how you climb, and how you lead.

Turning back last weekend wasn’t failure. It was alignment and gratitude for the clarity that comes when you stop expecting the world to meet your terms.

This weekend, I’ll be climbing again and thinking of Bistaarai.

When I was younger, I moved fast and expected outcomes. Now I move slower, guided by the lessons of my early sirdars, grateful to move within the rhythm of the mountain rather than against it.

Expecting nothing doesn’t mean you don’t strive, compete, or work hard. It’s the awareness that peace comes from within, and that when you move with gratitude for everything you experience, your world opens wide.