To go up to the beautiful Humantay Lake in Cuzco, you either hike for about two hours (one way) or rent a horse. If hiking, you start at 12,700 feet in elevation and end at 13,900 feet at the lake. The road has sand gravel with some rocks and flat areas. I, of course, chose the horse.

When it came time to get on one, I became partners with a beautiful white horse. 
I thought that it was going to be an easy journey. Me admiring the scenery, taking videos and pictures while being transported to this gorgeous Peruvian lake that I had only seen in pictures. I felt so lucky.

I quickly realized that this horse did not want to be tamed. She wanted to be free and didn’t care about following instructions or others. The man guiding all the horses kept yelling at her to keep her in line. When he was busy with the other riders, I tried to keep her in check, but this beauty had her agenda. At one point, she started galloping away from the group – remember, this road is very rocky and bumpy, and if you were to fall, you would hit the ground and roll down until something stopped you – and I had a hard time trying to get her behind the other horses.
When we were traveling on a narrow path, she would want to go to the front of the line. She was very impatient, and because she was fast, she would get constantly frustrated by the other horses that were not as fast as she was. I was scared and stressed, so I tried to be “the boss,” the one in charge the whole way. Doing this, of course, made me feel exhausted.

In many ways, this white horse reminded me of myself. I can do things very fast, and because of that, I can become frustrated when things don’t go smoothly. Also, I like being in control because it makes me feel safe.

Out of all the lessons that I gained from this experience, here are some of the ones I find most valuable:

• Being or working fast has its benefits. I’m time efficient and can deliver things to people promptly, so they don’t have to worry about them. But if I do things fast all the time, I start feeling exhausted and burned out. 
• I enjoy working independently and at my own pace, but at the same time, I’ve learned that working in a team allows me to accomplish more. 
• When working with someone, you can co-create and build things you’ve never dreamed of because every person has a unique contribution, and the work gets distributed better. When working in a team, everything doesn’t fall just on you. 
• Leadership is not being in control all the time. Sometimes, you have to let others lead so they can help you. Leadership is knowing when to step aside and let others guide you.

When we finally got to the top, I was thankful and in awe of the beauty of this lake. Mother nature never ceases to amaze me. All the stress was worth it. The view of the mighty mountains and the colorful lake was breathtaking. Would I do it again? I’m not sure. But I do know that this journey was not just about me going to see a beautiful place. It was about being reminded of previous lessons and becoming aware of the new ones sent my way by the universe.