Life, Leadership, and the Pursuit of Daily Adventure

Notes de l'éditeur

1. This is a presentation about life in the wilderness.It is also a presentation about life and leadership.Its about establishing your personal and professional goals.I hope that you take away some thoughts about how you can apply some of these thoughts to your own goals in life.I also hope you take away an appreciation of the amazing natural elements in our region.
2. Set the bar high. Avoid limiting beliefs.You can do more than you think.Don’t let the limiting belief of others fool you into thinking you cannot achieve greatness.There will always be haters.
3. It is important to prepare yourself physically and mentally before tackling any new project.Be prepared for the struggles you may face climbing the mountain.Know what the consequences are to failure.Also know what success means and what you are setting yourself up for.
4. Heavy baggage will slow you down and make everything harder and more tiring. This is true, of course, on both physical and emotional levels. Carry only what’s essential, and remember that most things aren’t essential.That said. You will go home eventually, and it’s okay if you still keep a teddy bear there and genuinely love your queen-sized bed. We all need comforting, and we all learn to lighten our baggage in our own good time. Just know that sometimes, it’s okay to leave it all behind.
5. You will never feel as close to someone as when they're helping you remove thorns of a barrel cactus from you left but cheek.Odd and embarrassing hurts crop up in the wild, and it's an amazing thing to witness the ways in which outdoorspeople come together in support of each other. It's taught me that in many cases, our own vulnerability is what allows relationships to grow.Don’t think you can get away with claiming to be an island if you camp alone, either. You will be affected by living things in this world no matter what. You will be bitten by mosquitos and black flies and, if you go camping often enough and in the right places, you will most likely encounter a bear some day. When you do, you will realize there is no magical bubble between you and that giant, sharp-toothed creature 10 yards away 
6. Jeep story Everyone plays a role. Everyone has skills that they can contribute.When you break an axel you want team members that will winch you up and drag you out, not leave you there to rust.
7. My son.This is a 25 foot natural rock wall.My son is only 3.5 feet tall.Fear is the only thing standing in front of him while climbing.
8. Modern technology is great, but inevitably it will fail you.Snow had completely covered the trail, and there were no foot prints to guide. There was also large tree cover that prevented the acquisition of any satellites.Rivers could be flowing at a much faster pace than anticipatedIts good to know how to read a mad and utilize your own knowledge rather than depending on technology.Same goes for life. You do not have to move in one particular direction in order for progress to be made. Sometimes you have to go backward in order to eventually get to where you want to end up.
9. There will always be challenges.There will always be setbacks.Being determined will help push you through.
10. Its scary setting out on your own.Trust in your faith.Trust in your gear.Trust in your team.Trust in your self.
11. Acclimatizing to Orizaba’s thin air is a long and frustrating but necessary process to even have a shot at reaching 18,693 feet. If you were to climb to the top, where the air holds a third of the oxygen at sea level, in one shot, you’d face certain death. Instead, you typically climb from Base Camp to Camp 1, and then back down to Base Camp. Next you go to Camp 2, down to Base Camp again, up to Camp 3, and all the way down again — in a continuous cycle of pushing higher and then descending to rest. We tend to think progress is defined by forward motion, but sometimes you have to go backwards to reach your end goal. “When you don’t get a promotion or take a job that you feel is a step down, look at it as an opportunity to review your skills, rest up, and get stronger.” 
12. Don’t be complacent.Good things will pass you by if you are not prepared to step out of your comfort zone and take risks.
13. The unfortunate truth is that you need to be responsible for yourself at all times. Your gear is often your lifeline. It is critical to ensure that it is in top working order before setting out to tackle a tough climb.The same is true in life.Climbing falls – Preston fell 10 feet when a quick draw broke from leaving it out in the elements.
14. Be prepared to adapt.Preperation is the key to adaptation. If you know the potential challenges you will be prepared to take them on.
15. Say “Yes!” to a rousing game of fallen crabapple toss; to throwing down your pack and splashing into a swimming hole on a hot, sweaty day; to epic games of silent hide-and-seek in the dark woods (But remember to bring a headlamp, just in case.). Stopping to pick your first wild blueberry is always encouraged (For evidence, see photo at right). On a related note, watches are overrated.
16. Talk about the natural resources in the area.If you move to fast you might miss something.
17. You will never value food as much as the dry, undercooked rice and beans boiled over a tiny stove at 10:30 pm after hiking for twelve hours and pitching a tent in darkness. Gratitude is relative. Spread it around with lavish abandon.
18. leading us where most people fear to tread. On good days, we move upward, forward and onward to new challenges, heights and accomplishments. On bad days, we may slip, fall, lose our balance and tumble backward.  On all days, leadership means learning, re-learning and failing forward with faith, hope, courage, integrity and humanity.  It means leading forward.
19. It is a commitment to service above self rooted in love.  Love gives us the power to lead forward where others fear to tread. It is the fire that lights the indomitable power of our heart, mind and soul. Falling off the path, losing our grip and ability to negotiate difficult terrain and foggy corners occurs when we slip, slide or fall into fear based ego, hubris or arrogance.  It is corrected by self-awareness, humility and the conviction to embrace the love, the commitment to service above self that can take us forward.
20. It means taking hard decisions and making the sacrifices necessary to negotiate foggy corners and challenging terrain with hope, faith, courage, integrity and humanity.  The imperative to build and sustain purpose driven leadership, to inspire purpose driven work, to build purpose driven communication and collaboration has never been greater.  Purpose equals profit on a multiplicity of levels, leadership is about tapping into our truest purpose and inspiring those we lead to do the same.
21. It demands a relentless focus on climbing the mountain better and faster than ever before by using our minds, empowering our brains and aligning our hearts.  It means climbing the mountain by using  what is to create what can be; a better self, better teams, better organizations, better communities…a better world.