Several years ago, I found the book Into Thin Air to be a great guide on the importance of having a strong team as demonstrated by a fateful climb of Mount Everest. Last week, getting to the “top” took on even greater relevance when I heard Erik Weihenmayer speak. As you may have seen on TV or in other media, Erik is the first blind athlete to climb Mount Everest. It’s an amazing feat, but just one of many incredible facets of the man behind the accomplishment. I had the pleasure to hear Erik speak at the annual forum on breakthrough innovation hosted by Sterling-Rice Group, a strategic marketing and consulting agency in Boulder, CO. Their annual forum provides the opportunity to learn about and discuss new ways to approach innovation in business for an intimate group of about 100 executives. This year, I was honored to be a panelist for one session and a participant for the entire forum. As the CEO of a company, this is a terrific venue for me to learn new techniques. And that is where Erik surprised and amazed me.

Each of us face many challenges that are beyond our control, so it's important to focus our energies on those things that we can control. 

In the hour or so that he spoke, I was either laughing at his humorous, self-deprecating stories or crying freely. Seeing video of Erik and others overcoming extreme physical challenges is both emotionally moving and completely inspiring—you can’t help but be moved to tears. Imagine a man with no arms or legs climbing a mountain by crawling on the stubs that are his limbs. Imagine a man paralyzed from the waist down lifting himself to the top of a sheer cliff by pulling over 7000 times on a lever system, moving only 6 inches each time. Imagine Erik navigating river rapids in his solo kayak and righting himself when it had flipped upside down in the torrent. These are incredible stories of overcoming adversity, of establishing the “top” for one’s self and then striving to achieve it wholeheartedly. You can learn more about Erik and his incredible story on his site, www.touchthetop.com. But the reason I’m sharing about his speech on Jane Knows is that a number of his thoughts apply not only to success in life, but to success in business too. He reminded me that each of us face many challenges that are beyond our control, so it’s important to focus our energies on those things that we can control. What we can’t control is adversity like losing one’s sight or limbs or a job due to a company lay-off. What we can control is our attitude, our ownership of our destiny, and the choices we make to overcome the adversity we face. It’s an empowering concept, and one that can lead to tremendous outcomes.

Erik shared a number of additional thoughts that are valuable bits of wisdom. What follows are a few that I highlighted (with my interpretations) for you to consider:

What is your legacy? Whether you are 20 or 60, what is the vision for the person that you want to be? Perhaps it is a job, like CEO, but it may be something broader, like being a person that others love and respect. If you have a picture of the person you aspire to be, it will help guide you as you develop your path. Seeing is not believing. Believing is seeing. Think about this one for a moment. The common saying is “seeing is believing.” In a world without sight, that is not possible. But if you really “believe” in something, it is entirely possible that you will “see”

Have a dream and then work your damnedest to make it happen. 

that it happens. Have a dream and then work your damnedest to make it happen. Continue to learn. It’s important to constantly challenge yourself to grow as a person. Set the goal for your “top” and when you get there (because you can and will!), set the next top. Be a climber. Erik believes there are three types of people: quitters (not you!), campers (people that are satisfied to stay where they are) and climbers. Climbers move forward. Climbers take on that next great challenge. Climbers continue to learn and grow. But the most important message that I want to share from Erik is a stark realism: Life can really suck… but you don’t have to be defeated (my words, not his). “No matter how fortunate you may be, you will eventually be given the opportunity to suffer…done right, suffering can fuel greatness.” (His words, not mine, from his new book The Adversity Challenge.) So as you contemplate your journey to the “top” and the challenges that you may face, remember these bits of wisdom from Erik—and his accomplishments using them in his own life. I’ve always believed the saying “mind over matter.” In Erik, it’s possible to see its impact in action.

Suffering can fuel greatness" - Erik Weihenmayer

Coming Thursday: a four part series on writing the perfect resume and acing your job interview!