Why I Created Beyond The Mountain
On the surface, Beyond The Mountain is a nature inspired clothing brand. However, the story and inspiration for Beyond The Mountain goes a lot deeper. My name is Alex, and this is the story of why I created Beyond The Mountain.
The greatest things in life are on the other side of the mountain.
It’s worth mentioning that a big part of this story starts with the COVID-19 pandemic. For everyone, the pandemic was not a great time. On top of just the fact that there was a global pandemic happening, there was a lot going on throughout 2020 within the United States. Social injustice, a historical presidential election, dividedness within our country, and a lot that created a very uneasy feeling for a lot of people and impacted not only our country but people worldwide.
Now, how does any of this have anything to do with Beyond The Mountain? Well, throughout 2020 was when I really started experiencing anxiety to its full extent. I’ve always had some anxiety, as many of us do, but a lot started changing for me personally throughout that year. I was graduating from college at the end of 2020, I was also moving into my first place with my girlfriend, and there was still a global pandemic happening. On top of just your normal everyday stressors, anxiety really started to take a toll on my mind and my body.
Throughout this time, I reached some of my darkest days to date. I couldn’t wrap my head around why I felt certain ways or why certain things were happening to me. As someone who felt like they took care of themselves, I was confused as to how I even got to this point. Although I had so many people supporting me, I often felt alone. Most of the time, I found myself thinking, “I cannot wait to get through this point in my life.” I was in a vicious cycle of wishing away time.
I wish I could say there was a particular moment where everything clicked - where everything started to change for me and then I felt better. But the reality is, there wasn’t. However, I slowly started to make changes in my life and implement different things. I started to exercise more, I started meditating, I took cold showers, I tried to get outside more and get fresh air, and I made an effort to grow in my faith. At the start, it wasn’t easy. There were days I’d workout for 5 minutes and be done. There were days where it really just felt like I was going through the motions. I also wasn’t really set on the fact that any of this would help me. But, I kept going even if it just felt like I was doing all of this just to do it.
Even after implementing these various things in my life, there were still a lot of ups and downs. At times, my anxiety got even worse. As the country was slowly opening back up, I was having extreme panic attacks in public places. I developed fears of going inside of stores. It felt like no matter how hard I tried to keep my mind and body healthy, I’d get pushed down and anxiety would get the best of me.
Eventually, I started to overcome certain obstacles. I got back inside the stores and could walk around stress free. I could push myself during a workout and feel good afterward. I could wake up excited for the day ahead and not dread how my anxiety was going to make me feel that day. And the days where I felt good, I felt GOOD.
I started noticing a common theme. When I overcame a challenge, no matter how big or how small, I felt my best. I felt accomplished, and even better - I was motivated to overcome the next challenge in life - because let’s face it, life is always going to throw us some challenges. It’s unavoidable.
The Journey
I am now at a point of realizing that life is all about the journey, NOT the destination. As long as we are alive on this Earth, there really is no destination. Throughout the journey, there are going to be mountains to climb, and that’s ok. Because the true beauty in life is going to be what’s beyond that mountain - once we overcome that obstacle.
I want to spread a message of courage, strength, and hope. I want people to look beyond fear, overcome fear, climb the mountain, and see what’s beyond it. That is where I believe the true beauty in life is.
I want to be a part of a community of people who are willing to see the obstacles in life and realize that the greatest things in life are on the other side of those obstacles - or mountains. I want to be a part of a community of people who are willing to climb mountains with others and bring them along to see the beauty on the other side. I want to be a part of a community of people who want to face their fears, explore the unknown, and feel the beauty that this journey of life really has to offer.
So, yes, while Beyond The Mountain is a nature inspired clothing brand - it really is much more than that.
That is why I created Beyond The Mountain.
- Alex | Founder of Beyond The Mountain