A Short Trail, and the Space Between Where I Was and Where I’m Going

In the quiet of a short hike, I learned that being in between isn’t failure — it’s where real growth begins.

Elephant Mountain Viewing Platform — Taipei 101.

Halfway up the trail, I noticed a sentence carved into the stone steps: “Stopping halfway is harder than reaching the destination.” I paused. At first, it felt like a message meant for tired hikers. But the longer I stood there, the more it seemed to describe something else entirely — where I was in life.

Not long ago, I left my job. I knew I wanted change, but I didn’t yet know what that change should look like. I wasn’t stuck because I lacked ability; I was stuck because I had too many possibilities, most of which led back to where I had started.

My previous work was in the food and beverage industry, and I had spent years in management. After I resigned, interview invitations came quickly — but almost all of them were for similar roles. That was the part that unsettled me. If I was going to stay on the same path, I wouldn’t have needed to leave in the first place.

The job itself had been good. The people were kind. But I could feel that I had reached a point where learning slowed, and growth began to feel like repetition.

I’ve been in a new role for about three months now. I still can’t say with certainty that this is what I’ll do long-term. But I don’t dislike it. And every day, I’m learning things I never encountered in my previous career. For now, that feels like movement — and that matters.

The trail itself wasn’t long, but it was steep. There were almost no flat sections, only steps that kept rising. It demanded attention. There was little room to overthink — only enough focus to place my next step securely.

When I reached one of the viewpoints, the city opened up beneath me. From above, Taipei looked different — surrounded by green, quieter than I remembered. The familiar noise felt distant, replaced by a calm that seemed unexpectedly close.

This was my first time taking a short trip entirely on my own. No family. No friends. Just a few hours to walk, pause, and turn back whenever I wanted. It wasn’t lonely. It was quiet in a way that allowed me to notice things — the pace of other hikers, the wind, and my own thoughts settling.

Elephant Mountain Trail — Standing halfway is more challenging than reaching the goal.

Later, I returned to the sentence on the steps.

Stopping halfway really is hard. But often, people don’t stop because they’re exhausted. They stop because the destination feels unclear — or impossibly far away. Big ideas like “success” or “financial freedom” can sound inspiring, yet leave us frozen, unsure where to begin. Maybe that’s why small goals matter. Not as compromises, but as places where our feet can land — something solid enough to keep us moving, one step at a time.

The walk down was easier. My pace slowed naturally.

I didn’t leave the mountain with answers to every question about my future. But I knew this much: I wasn’t standing still anymore. Even without seeing the destination, having a step beneath me was enough to continue.

Some paths aren’t meant to take us somewhere impressive. They exist to remind us that moving forward — quietly, imperfectly — is already progress.

Elephant Mountain Trail — Taipei 101.

Note: Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) is a short, steep trail in Taipei — close to the city, yet far enough to quiet it.