My Gen X Playlist: The Climb – Miley Cyrus

I need a kick in the butt. I can feel it. I’ve been too sedentary and need the motivation from a good ass kicking to get me out of this rut.

No, not actual violence. I’m talking about a challenge that stretches me to hell and back. One that feels like it’s beating my ass to the point I’m not going to make it.

Until I do.

My buddies and I go on a backpacking or hiking trip once a year. As we got our footing in the outdoors, we began to challenge ourselves and push our limits. I remember a number of excursions where I literally didn’t have any gas left in the tank. Lungs burning, pain radiating throughout my body with each step. When we made it to the summit, there was a certain euphoria and sense accomplishment from just surviving. I love taking that home with me. I haven’t felt that in years.

My friends know when I’m hurting. I grow silent on the trail. On an uphill slog, I make it through only by small victories. I look fifty yards ahead and pinpoint a landmark. I put my head down, count my breathe and march forward. My sole focus is hitting that landmark. When I do, I look ahead and find another to focus on. And then another. Wash, rinse, repeat. The aggregate of small victories fuels the fire.

Every year it was strongly suggested I train a little bit before jumping into one of these treks. The argument was strong. Why not alleviate the pain? Yeah, made perfect sense. I used to shrug off the advice, though, and rely solely on mental strength to pull me through. That was my thirty and forty self talking. Since crossing over to the next decade, I’ve come to realize I might have to follow a better strategy. My body doesn’t seem to recover as quickly as it used to.

People assumed I went on these trips for my physical health. Sure, there was that. What they didn’t understand was these trips were 100% for my mental health. Conquering what feels to be the unconquerable really does wonders for your psyche.

So I need one of these right now. I need the pain to wake and inspire me. I need to be forced to dig deep to find victory, even if it means barely limping across the finish line. I know it probably doesn’t make any sense, voluntarily jumping into a pit of pain. But I love the feeling coming out on the other side. It’s like no other.

This is a moment of truth. I was hesitant about adding this song to the playlist. Am I a Miley Cyrus fan? Not really. But The Climb came to mind. I’ve listened to it randomly and always thought it was catchy, but not enough to seek it out to listen to.

It turns out Cyrus released this song when she was fifteen years old. Just a baby. I wondered what life events she experienced at such a young age to connect with the lyrics. I listened to an early live version and the lyrics didn’t quite fit with her teenage voice. She was just a kid.

Since then, of course, Cyrus has had her share of the spotlight. A literal trove of ups and downs for all to see. When I came across this live version from the Howard Stern Show, the lyrics seemed to fit better with the rasp in her voice. It felt like she grew into the song and I enjoyed it differently this time around. So much better than that teeny bopper version. Was it enough to make me a Miley Cyrus fan? No, but I will say, it inched me over enough to add one of her songs to the playlist, making the impossible possible. My blog is still anonymous, so this really isn’t as courageous as I’m making it out to be. But still…

P.S. Oh, God. When searching for the lyrics, I learned this is from the Hannah Montana soundtrack. Damn, this is making it more difficult to hit publish…

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head sayin'
"You'll never reach it"
Every step I'm takin'
Every move I make feels lost with no direction
My faith is shakin'

But I, I gotta keep tryin'
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments
That I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep goin'

And I, I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

Yeah

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Keep on movin'
Keep climbin'
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about — it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa, whoa, oh