Sir Edmund Hillary - Lessons in Accomplishment
by Ross
Clennett
This article originally appeared in my eNewsletter
InSight
(Issue 15, 17 January 2008)
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Growing up in
1970's Hobart, I can't remember specifically learning about Sir Edmund Hillary's
conquest of Mt. Everest on 29 May 1953 - it just seems to have been something I
always knew. In the next 25 or so years, I didn't expand my knowledge about Sir
Edmund or his feats. For me, it just remained a 20th century event, like landing
on the moon or President Kennedy being shot, that sat non-specifically in my
knowledge bank.
I was awakened
from this historical slumber during a holiday in Nepal at the end of 1995. At
the suggestion of my (Kiwi) girlfriend at the time, we signed up for a 2 week
trek in Nepal (Annapurna Dhaulagiri region, North West of Kathmandu, Everest is
East). The trek was a real eye-opener. Not having been bought up in a "camping
holiday" family, it was a bit of a shock to pitch and sleep in (very cold) tents
each night, thousands of feet above sea level.
The highest I
climbed on that trek was about 4,000 metres above sea level (Everest is 8850
metres) and for my effort and perseverance, I "achieved" the most painful
headache of my entire life and nearly got killed by a lightening strike as we
quickly descended to camp to avoid a fast approaching storm.
Over the 2 weeks
of the trek, as I observed the Sherpas and porters do their jobs, experienced my
own aches and pains and watched the weather and climbing conditions change
rapidly and violently, I came to appreciate (some) of what it took to be a
successful mountaineer in Himalayan conditions. The level of courage,
perseverance, skill, ambition (and luck) that successful mountaineers must
possess to enable them to realise their dreams and return safely, was clearly at
a whole new level compared to what it took to succeed in the corporate or
organisational world.
Having read much more about mountaineering since that Nepal holiday and watched, with fascination, various DVDs on the subject, I now view Sir Edmund's feat with awe.
I will never
conquer Everest (nor do I want to), but there is much to learn from Sir Edmund's
feat in conquering Everest, and his life in general, in pursuing a life of
accomplishment. Here are some of my observations:
Dream big, unrestrained by what others think is possible
Prior to Hillary and Norgay's conquest of Everest there was much evidence to
suggest the mountain was unconquerable. Dozens of experienced mountaineers had
perished in previous attempts on the summit. Hillary was
undeterred by other
people's failures.
Prepare thoroughly
Hillary's expedition had 12 climbers, 35 Sherpa guides and 350 porters carrying
18 tonnes of food and equipment.
Surround yourself with a range of skilled people
Unlike
many current commercial expeditions on Mt Everest, Hillary's expedition included
skilled and experienced mountaineers and support personnel who all contributed
to the successful conquest by performing their specific role to the best of
their ability.
Take your opportunities when things go your way
Two other climbers from the same expedition as Hillary, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, had got within 100 metres of the summit only a couple of days before Hillary and Norgay's attempt. Bourdillon and Evans were driven back by a storm and oxygen tank failures. The day of Hillary and Norgay's summit attempt dawned fine so they rapidly ascended to the top of Mt Everest while the weather stayed on their side.
Don't forget who helped get you there
Hillary's summit partner was Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. After he conquered Everest, Hillary formed a humanitarian foundation - The Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust, which raised millions for the Nepalese Sherpa communities. The Trust's activities financed the construction and furnishing of more than 30 schools, 12 clinics and 2 hospitals, amongst many other smaller village-based facilities.
Nothing worth achieving happens overnight
Hillary started climbing at age 16. It took 17 more years of slowly building
his mountaineering skills until, at the age of 33, he stood on the top of the
world.
Once you achieve a goal, set new goals
Hillary never attempted to summit Everest again. He set new goals. He was part
of a team that was the first to cross Antarctica (in 1958) and in 1960 he led a
search for the Abominable Snowman and disproved all existing "evidence" of the
alleged creature's existence.
Don't get full of yourself no matter what you've accomplished
Sir
Edmund was knighted, was feted by an adoring public everywhere he went and was
undoubtedly one of the 20th Century's most famous men yet he continued to list
his occupation as �beekeeper', preferred to be known as �Ed' and his home
telephone number remained listed in the Auckland White Pages.
Right up until his death, on 11th January 2008, Sir Edmund's humility and community work remained a shining light in a society obsessed with reality TV stars, fallen pop princesses and ego-inflated, substance-fuelled sportsmen.
Long may his example shine.
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