The Walking Mentorship, Day 7 The Last Day of This Journey Is the First Day of a New One

The Walking Mentorship, Day 7 The Last Day of This Jurney Is the First Day of a New One Joo Perre Viana is the mastermind behind theWalking Mentorshipprogram, an innovative one-week experience that helps people face their personal andprofessionalchallenges while taking a120-km (74.5-mile) hike alongthe Camino de jakobus der groe.The purpose of this methodology is to help gain perspective on what is important (both personally and professionally), update ur reality maps, and create an action plan for the future, Viana says.On Sunday, August 28, Viana embarked on his latest hike.Over the course of the week, he journaled about thejourney he and his participants were on.This is the final entry in the series. Read the previous entriesherepart 0,part 1,part 2,part 3,part 4, andpart 5, and part 6. Ed. Note.From Outeiro, we could practically smell Santiago de Compostela. During the first hours of the day, the omnipresent Pico Sacro wasour constant companion on the horizon, standing at mora than 500 meters above sea level and overlooking the surrounding landscape.Today, we had a little surprise like we did every single day during this journey. Any path can be walked in a group, but The Way is always an individual process. For that reason, I hadeach member of thegroup start thebrde section of the hikeon their own, walking alone until they reached the Cathedral in Santiago. I told them where and when we were to meet, and then I let them go.It was time to enjoy our last challenge.Aside from walking thelast 16 kilometers of our hike, we also knew that we had to use this final day to consolidate our individual action plans before returning to our homes. That was the only way wed be able to successfully seize the opportunities we had identified for ourselves this week.A busy morningSuch ambitious objectives and so fewkilometers left.On my own, I enjoyed the magic first hours of the day in total silence, interrupted only by the breathtaking vie ws of the valley below engulfed by mist and fog. In what felt like the blink of aneye,I covered roughlyseven kilometers, which brought me to A Susana, a small village alongside the national road. I made aquick stop for coffee and toast in the restaurant Rosende.One of the best feelings in the world is the pleasure of reuniting with your friends after youve been away for some time. Even though we had only parted a few hours ago, I was so happy when I found my fellow travelers in the cafe.It was one ofthose moments in which one clearly understands the intensity of what the group had lived during the preceding week.I once heard that we actually dont experience seven days on the Walking Mentorship. Instead, we experience something beyond normal time. We spend more than 14 hours a day on average with one another, talking, sharing, paying attention, and giving the best of ourselves. Rarely do we spend so much time with our loved ones (Which is unfortunate, and probably something to revise in our own lives.)As we approached Santiago, we had to double our attention on the road ahead of us because the yellow arrows pointing the way became extremely scarce.I had time to reflect on a few morethoughts and sing a few more songs inside my head beforethe pinnacles of the cathedral appeared in front of my eyes. I knew then that the city our final destination was no more than four kilometers away, but I also knew from my many previous walks that the first and last kilometer of any path are always liars.After crossing the bridge over the river Sar, we had to make our final pushthe steep climb up Ra do Sar and Ra do Castro Douro. We passed the arch of the Porta de Mazarelos, the only gate that remains of the old city wall, and a few minutes later, we were walking into the old town.Our journey reached its destination.I entered the Praza do Obradoiro and took a seat on the ground, where I could face the end of the road and the beginning of another route in my life.After more th an 120kilometers,we arrived atSantiago, but the personal work we had been doingalong the way was truly just starting.The next step was to detail the implications ofourfuture strategies in the short and medium terms and how we weregoing to operationalize them with clear action plans. Even with thousands of people around, it was easy to stay focused on theshining smiles of my traveling friends a moment sealed in silence and deep happiness.The afternoon in Santiago gave us agreat opportunity to break down ourindividual initiatives into sets of actionable tasks that we could each follow as we returned to our lives and strove to be better.After the traditional power nap, each of uswalked around, got lost in the different corners and alleys of the magnificent town, and lay down on the grass of many different parks.Some opted to have a quiet talk inside the cathedral.Our journey was drawing close to an end, and it was time to collect all the pieces of the puzzle we had been gathering alon g the way.Many of the thoughts and ideas we end up revisiting are old friends in a way, but if we dare to challenge them, we might discover new angles to explore.Each route is unique and unrepeatable, even when we return again and again, but the signs (remember the yellow arrows) are always inthe same places, indicating the direction we must follow.Now, on the way back home, I feel a mixture of feelings happy to return to my family, friends, and work, but also nostalgic for the long walks in silence and the connections I createdwith the others participants, who are now my new friends.I hope you enjoyed following our literal and metaphoricaljourneys, and I thank you for making it even more unique by sharing your comments during the last week.I hope you end up repeating some of the exercises we did. I hope you discover new paths and goals. I hopeyou continue to walk into a better youCaminante, no hay camino. Se hace camino al andar.*Keep walking with me,Joo* Wanderer, there is no road , the road is made by walking.Photos from the final dayJoo Perre Viana foundedtheWalking Mentorshipprogram.