Wisdom Week Wrap-Up October 6
Quotes that are food for thought
So many great quotes come out of my conversations with my guests! This is a weekly piece with some words that might just get you thinking.
If there is a theme to this week’s quotes, it’s courage and perseverance. Each person faced significant odds in reaching their goal and they all succeeded. May this provide thought and inspiration for your week.
“It’s all about tapping in that light that exists within us.” - Erik Weihenmayer
Erik is one of the most inspirational people I’ve met. He went blind at the age of 16. But that didn’t stop him from living life. He went onto climb Everest and each of the Seven Summits (the highest peak on each continent). And to kayak (solo) the Colorado River Rapids. He also founded NoBarriersUSA.org an outward bound program oriented towards the disability and veteran communities.
Among other things, in preparing for Everest, he balanced an aluminum ladder between two stacks of cinder blocks. He walked the ladder in his crampons again and again, hour after hour, practicing to cross the Khumbu Icefall, where a misstep could send him hurdling deep into a frozen crevasse.
The hours and hours of preparation paid off. He successfully navigated the terrain and reached the summit.
What is it within inside each of us that drives us to pursue a goal? What purpose burns inside of you?
Six and a half years, 14 countries and 11 pairs of shoes later, Angela Maxwell walked around the earth. She faced extraordinary situations, from solo travel through the brutal Australian desert to a sexual attack from a Mongolian nomad. But she continued.
Courage, she says, doesn’t have to be a global adventure. “Wherever we meet the edges in our life…anything beyond our comfort is being courageous.”
Setting and pursuing goals takes courage. What are your goals? How are you stepping beyond your comfort zone to reach them?
As you answer, pat yourself on the back! It takes courage to go beyond comfort and to continue in your quest.
“All those hard things made me better at doing hard things.”
-K.C. (”Killer Chic”) Campbell
Kim “KC” Campbell served in the Air Force for 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader.
KC’s path was full of challenges. The first was simply getting into the Air Force Academy. The Academy initially rejected her application. But she persevered. She rallied all the support she could find, and she repeatedly pinged the powers that be reminding them of her desire to fly. Her perseverance paid off.
Today KC has flown 1,800 hours in the A-10 Warthog, including more than 100 combat missions protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan where she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism.
What’s your current dream? How are you navigating your biggest obstacle?