A personal goal I had for many years was to see a sunrise.

The problem was I hated getting up early.

So my goal was to see a spectacular sunrise ONCE in my life.

I had big dreams of what this ONE sunrise would look like. The yellows, oranges and pinks slowly rising up over the horizon and lighting up the sky.

In 2003, I lived in Lima, Peru, for school, and my brother visited me. We planned a trip to Machu Picchu and were so excited to wake up early, hike up Huayna Picchu (the peak you see in the pictures) and watch the sunrise. We woke up super early and then noticed it was pouring rain. The kind of rain that drenches you within seconds. We bought an oversized plastic poncho for one sol and set out. We hiked up the mountain, treacherous at times, and saw a beautiful sight of the clouds slowly parting to reveal the Inca Ruins below. It wasn’t a sunrise, but it was magical.

I continued on my search to see a sunrise. One glorious, colourful sunrise.

My next opportunity came when we went to Hawaii as a family for my in-laws’ 50th wedding anniversary. I asked my family who would want to wake up early and drive up the volcano, Haleakala, to see the sunrise. The answer? NO ONE. They would see the sunset but not the sunrise. Perhaps it was because it meant waking up at 2 a.m. We saw the sunset, and it was breathtaking. But I was still on a mission to see my sunrise.

Then I started asking at home – who would get up early, walk the 2 minutes to our beach and see the sunrise. The answer? NO ONE!! I wanted so badly to see one, yet the thought of heading down to the beach by myself in the dark scared me. I’d rather do it with someone.

A few years later, I joined the 5 a.m. club and decided to overcome my fear of running in the dark. I waited until after 6 a.m., when more people would be out and gave it a try. With my phone in hand ready to call 911 if needed. What can I say? The dark frightens me. I got to the beach and saw quite a few people out. I immediately relaxed and started running. I turned east, and there it was. The most incredible sea of orange, pink and yellow peeking up over the horizon of the lake. Up above me, the moon was still out, and a couple of stars were still shining. There was my sunrise! Tears fell down my cheeks as I realized I was finally seeing my sunrise, and yet, I hadn’t even thought about that when I decided to start running.

Something I had put as a one-time goal was now a regular occurrence.

And seeing it still brings tears to my eyes.

Sometimes something we strive for for so long in our lives can magically appear one day, and other things take a lot of work. No matter what your goal is, keep putting it out there. You might be amazed at what happens one day. What one-time goal turns into a regular occurrence.