Back Home
I am back home now after a long series of flights. I want to thank my friend Jim Carroll who upgraded me to business class for my flight from Santiago to Toronto. It was oh so nice and a great restful way to return home. Jim is a great keynote speaker and you can check him out at www.jimcarroll.com.

After returning to Union Glacier base camp we waited for a day for our flight back to Punta Arenas on December 3. Union Glacier base camp is a pretty interesting place to spend some time. Both the staff and the visiting explorers offer a very interesting collection of individuals. This is a place where drive, over achieving, motivation, team work and leadership are the norm. The stories and experiences are fantastic and humbling. There are so many adventurous people out there. 

Once back in Punta Arenas I set about the daunting task of changing my scheduled flight so that I could get home early. Unfortunately most air carriers do not make this an easy task. After many phone calls and hours spent on the web it was determined that the easiest and cheapest thing for me to do was just to abandon my already paid for flights and book new tickets. The change fees and price adjustment made it impossible to use my originally booked ticked. However, this is a pretty normal part of these expeditions and one must accept the fact that additional money must often be spent to get back home. Maybe I should learn and just book a one-way ticket next time. 

The flights home went smoothly and I arrived at the Toronto airport at 6:10am to be greeted by my family. It is always great to be back in Canada and traveling around the world has taught me how fortunate we are to be Canadian. It is also always amazing to see my family again. Even thought this was not one of my longer trips, I always miss them. 

Integrating back into “normal” life is usually pretty easy; mostly because there is no real transition period at all. Life picks up right where it left off, but with a big pile of “to do’s” that have accumulated over the last month. As the saying goes “out of the frying pan and into the fire”. 

I will, over the next week or so, fill in the gaps of my blog. I was not able to blog every day as you know and some crucial times, such as the summit of Vinson, were missed. 

I am now the 15^th Canadian to have climbed the 7 summits; the highest peak on each of the seven continents. This all started in 1999 with my ascent of Aconcagua in Argentina. At this point I did not really have a plan to climb the seven summits, but was more focused on Everest. As I continued to climb to get experience for Everest I climbed several more of the seven summits and once I made it to the top of Everest it seemed kind of silly not to keep going and finish them off. 

While I would not put myself in the Olympic athlete category, climbing the seven summits is, if I may say so, a pretty fantastic achievement. Less than 300 people worldwide have stood on the top of these same mountains. Obviously fitness is a huge part of success in this endeavour, but once this “entry ticked” has been paid there are other factors that will ultimately determine one's success. 

Without goal setting, personal drive, sacrifice, emotional intelligence, teamwork and leadership none of this would be possible. I was speaking with one of the owners of ALE (the company that provides the logistics for Vinson climbs and South Pole expeditions) and he was talking about the countless people who have failed to achieve their Antarctic goals. Sometimes it is lack of fitness or injury that stops an individual, but more often than not it is a breakdown of leadership, teamwork or personal drive. 

The hardships endured on these extended expeditions are tremendous and it is difficult for most people to handle the pressure. This is where teamwork, leadership and personal strength come into play. Without these factors, success will not be possible.

I will need to think about what climbing the seven summits has meant to me and what I have taken from this experience, but my initial thoughts fall to how rich this experience has been for me in so many ways. I have traveled to far-flung and amazing places; parts of the planet that most people will never see. I have met great friends and untold numbers of extremely interesting people. I have pushed myself, mentally and physically, to the breaking point and returned unscathed. I have learned so much about myself and human dynamics that I could write a book (I am actually writing a book that is 80% complete and should be out soon I hope). The expedition world is such a rich environment to learn about group dynamics, team development, team work, change management, conflict management, goal setting, leadership, motivation and so many other things that play an immensely important part in our personal and professional lives. 

As most of you know I am a corporate leadership and team trainer by profession and these experiences have allowed me and my team to create very successful training programs for large and small, public and private corporations. I believe our programs are much richer from my experiences. My EMBA students have told me how much this approach to training has helped them to become better leaders and team members. 

As a keynote speaker I am blessed to be able to tell my stories to others and to share my learnings and insights with them. I was in Vancouver just before I departed to for Antarctica giving a keynote and leading a workshop to a financial organization and received a great compliment from the President. She told me that my combination of storytelling (making it interesting) and workshop application (making it real) was by far the best that they had ever experienced. They had recently brought in an Olympic athlete as a motivational speaker and I was told that while this person was extremely nice and had an interesting story, it did not have the real world application and depth that I was able to provide. 

Now I am not usually much of a self-promoter as that is not really my style, I do truly believe that what we have to offer as a company and what I offer as a speaker can provide great value to individuals and organizations alike. I feel blessed to have found this niche within which to live and I look forward to working with and helping others for a long time to come. 

Adult Gummie Vitamins, Sherpa Adventure Gear and Ostrom Outdoors, I have mentioned them before, but will do so once again because these are companies and products that I truly believe in and people who have always been there for me. 

Fitness and nutrition are a big part of my life and I know I am not always the best eater. Adult Essentials Gummy Vitamins www.adultgummies.com help me to stay healthy and to get the vitamins my body requires to perform at my best. Beyond their nutritional value, they provide a valuable mental boost every morning on an expedition with their burst of yummy flavour and they do not freeze solid like so much of our food at 30 below. Give them a try if you have not already. 

Sherpa Adventure Gear www.sherpaadventuregear.com is a great outdoor and lifestyle clothing company. Not only do they have great products, but they come from real Sherpa roots and support the Sherpa people of Nepal. I have worn Sherpa clothing for the last few years on all my expeditions and I have always been warm and dry. I have never suffered a clothing failure and would recommend Sherpa Adventure Gear for wearing around town and outdoor adventure alike. 

Bill Ostrom from Ostrom Outdoors has designed and built me fantastic backpacks over the years. An Ostrom pack has been with me on every one of my seven summits and countless other climbs and adventures as well. Check out www.ostromoutdoors.com if you are looking for a reliable pack for your next adventure. 

So what is my next challenge you may ask? I am not totally sure at this point. The North and South Poles have always been of interest to me and to complete the Adventure Grand Slam (the seven summits plus the North and South Pole) would be an amazing feat. I have also recently had a calling to kite ski across Greenland, so maybe I will learn to kite this winter. There are countless Himalayan peaks I would love to climb and other mountains and adventures all around the world. Sailing around the world has always excited me and terrified me at the same time and good friend, who is a sailor, has often suggested we give that a try. For the next few months however, I think I will just enjoy being home with my family and soaking up the Ontario alpine ski season.

I am truly thankful for all that I have.

Summit Life! Scott.

Back at Union Glacier

We are now back at Union Glacier base camp. We arrived just in time for lunch yesterday. After a restful night at the base of Mt. Charles we packed up and started the ski back to Union Glacier base camp.

The initial part of the ski presented some tricky ground as the Sanchez, Union, and Driscoll glaciers collide. The ground was quite mixed up with ice waves and a lot of rock debris from Mt. Charles. Once past this, the skiing was slightly up hill but very gentle. It took us 2.5 hours to ski back. It was nice to see the tents of camp, but sad to see the end of the wilderness for this trip.

The ice marathon started on December 1^st with 32 people running the marathon. The fastest time was 3:47 (male) and 4:26 (female) beyond that times ranged up to 8:45. Two Canadians ran in the race. December 2^nd was the 100km run and six people set out for that. The fastest time was 14 hours and change, and some runners took close to 24 hours to complete it. I could hear runners finishing at all hours of the night as I slept in my tent at the side of the finish line. Temperatures ranged from -20° to -30°c for the run.

One runner set out to run 100 miles and completed his run in just over 24 hours. It is pretty amazing to see the runners accomplish this feat. They are all limping around Union Glacier today with sore muscles and blistered feet.One runner set a new world record for the fastest time to run a marathon on each of the seven continents; 25 days, 18 hours and 10 minutes. This beat the old record by four days.

Also of note was the fuel train that left here last night. As the twin otter planes have a limited flight range, they need to land and re-fuel for longer flights. A Piston Bully (snow cat) was hooked to 4 giant sleds for the 300mile/500km journey to The Fields re-fuel base. Four drivers and mechanics were ready for this two-week journey. The trip would take them through a wide variety of ground from gentle slopes to steep hills, from deep snow to ice and across crevasse filled glaciers. The train consisted of a utility and supply sled, a living pod, a sled of 150 forty-five gallon drums of aviation fuel, and a huge shipping container that will be used as a storage shed. They set off at 1am to cheers and wishes of good weather.

Today will be spent waiting for the plane to take us back to Punta Arenas. As of now, flights are grounded due to low clouds, but we hope this will change later in the day.

Hopefully my next blog will come from the hotel in Punta Arenas after a shower and a shave.

Please check out Adult Essentials Gummy Vitamins, Sherpa Adventure Gear and Ostrom Outdoors as they all played a part in the success of this trip.

What is your next challenge?

Summit life! Scott.

Mount Charles
Today has been a day of contrasts. From extreme cold and wind to complete stillness and heat. From hyperactivity to complete lack of movement.

The wind raged all night, but I slept through most of it. From 5:30am on I laid in my sleeping bag and listened to the freight train roar and watched the tent shake violently and to try to rip free of our anchors. Today was our day to climb Mt Charles. We waited for the wind to abate, but it was not happening so at 11:00 we decided to head out regardless. With jackets zipped up, goggles on, crampons on, and ice axes in hand we turned into the wind and started up.

The initial part of the climb was up a 35 degree snow ramp. The wind was fierce and made the otherwise easy climb about 30-40% more difficult. It did not take too long for us to reach the col where the wind intensified. It was blowing a steady 70-80kph with gusts over 100.

The ridge to the summit alternated from rock to snow and from gentle to steep. All along the wind tried to push us down. Close to the top we roped up as the drops on either side became more severe. We reached the top as a team and celebrated. We were treated to spectacular 360° views of mountains and glaciers for as far as the eye could see. We could even see the marathon track laid out on the ice as a snow cat slowly moved along grooming the trail. We took some photos but did not remain on the top for too long. The wind and the cold quickly drove us down.

With the rope floating freely in the wind we started down. The way down was much easier with gravity working with us and the wind at our backs. The final slope to the tents was beautiful as we looked out across the frozen sea of ice that is our temporary home.

Once back at camp we had lunch and laid down to rest. When I woke the wind had completely died and the sun has warmed our tent to an almost unbearable heat. We are only eight km from union Glacier base camp but have decided to stay on the ice one more night. It will be all too soon that we re-enter the chaos of civilization and we want to savour our final hours of peace and solitude on the ice of Antarctica.

Summit life! Scott.

Yesterday we left Union Glacier base camp and started to ski across the Union Glacier. Our plan was to ski to the mountains in the distance and do some climbing. However after four hours and 15km we did not seem to be getting any closer. We set up camp in the middle of this huge glacier with nothing but space and mountains surrounding us. The silence was absolute and we slept until 9:30 the next morning. I think this was the best sleep we have all had since we landed in Antarctica.

Today we changed objectives and made a left turn towards a different set of peaks. After four hours of skiing we are finally at the base of a beautiful unclimbed peak we have named Sharks `Tooth because that is what it looks like. We have set up camp and will get an early start tomorrow and try to climb at least two peaks.

We are all doing well. My Adult Essentials Gummy vitamins taste good every morning (they have not frozen yet). My Sherpa clothing is keeping we very warm, and my Ostrom pack is helping me to carry it all.

We will stay out here for a few more days and then start to make our way back to base camp. It will be a long ski back.

They are getting ready for the Antarctica marathon in a few days. Over forty runners are flying in for the event. The course is set on the glacier and we skied across it on our way to the mountains.

We saw some photos from the emperor penguin expedition and it was beyond belief. One of the guides we know said it was a life changing experience for him. We will not make it to the penguins however. They charge $15k to start the plane and $10k per flying hour. The penguins are about four hours away and out of our budget.

This is an amazing place to be and I feel very fortunate to be here.

Thinking of you all.

Summit life! Scott.

Back in Contact (from Scott)
We are back at Union Glacier now. We have been experiencing email problems so I have not been able to send a blog until now. On Nov 21 we moved from base camp to low camp. It was a beautiful but long ski through a magnificent valley of 9km. We set up camp and spent the night.

On Nov 22 we moved up to high camp in a single carry. Our packs were heavy but this would save us time and overall effort. The headwall was 1200m of fixed line and while not technically difficult it was very tiring and took us around three hours to climb. We then ascended for another 90 minutes to high camp. We were quite tired when we got there. We set up camp and prepared for a summit push in the morning. 

On Nov 23 we set out for the summit at 9:30am. The route follows a gentle but exhausting valley for seven km. The sky was clear with a slight wind. Temperature was around minus 25. After six hours we made it to the summit ridge. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped to around minus 45 with the wind chill. The summit ridge was amazing, with a razor sharp top and steep drops on both sides. We made it to the summit at 4:30. It was amazing but difficult to enjoy with the cold and the wind. After a couple of bad summit photos all three of our cameras froze. We spent about 20 min on top.

The journey down was easy but tiring and took us around three hours. We made it back to camp had dinner and slept. On the 24th we made the long journey back to base camp. It was a fast, fantastic, and challenging climb. After a rest day we did some great skiing at base camp and then flew back to Union Glacier late last night. We will pack and head back into the mountains today to explore areas the have never seen footsteps. We are all having fun and enjoying our time in Antarctica. I will send more detailed daily journals when I have access to wifi.

Summit life! Scott.

Vinson Base Camp
On November 19 we were delayed until 11:50pm for takeoff. The 4.5 hour flight landed us at Union Glacier at 4:30am. We had some food and waited to fly to Vinson. We got to Vnson Base Camp at around 4pm on the 20th and set up camp. It was -15c and sunny with light wind. We had dinner and went to sleep. 

On the morning of the 21st we got up and headed to Camp 1 around 12:30 pm. It was a long 9 km ski that took us five hours. It was cloudy with light snow as we skied. We got to camp in a light snow storm. It was cold and our hands quickly got cold as we set up camp. We got into the tent and made hot drinks and then dinner. By 9:00 pm Ron and Ryan were snoring as I read my book. I find it difficult to sleep with 24 hours sunlight. The forecast is not great for the next couple of days. Minus 25 degrees  at high camp with 10-15 knot winds and the summit is -33 degrees with 15-25 knot winds. Not great.

We will rest here at camp one today and then move to high camp tomorrow. We will then wait and see what the weather brings. All is good and we are doing well.

Summit life! Scott out.

Into the heart of ice and snow

I slept restlessly last night. Perhaps it was the fact that the hotel finally turned on the heat and I was too hot, maybe it was the dogs barking much of the night, it could have been the ambulance and fire truck that raced by my window with sirens blaring, but mostly I think it was energy and excitement. This is the day we fly to Antarctica. I am excited and a little anxious. There are a lot of challenges and potential hardships ahead of me for the next 30 days.

I always question myself. Am I ready? Have I done all I need to do? Will I perform well? How will my family be while I am gone? I think this questioning is natural, and that most people do it. I think it helps me to stay safe and to be well prepared. However, in the mountains there is no place for hesitation. One must be strong and confident and put 100% into everything that is done. Hesitation erodes commitment and lack of commitment reduces focus and the energy put into a task. In the mountains, hesitation can make bad things happen.

Our call from ALE came at 9:45 and we were told that all looked good, but that there was no flight schedule yet. Yesterday’s flight went well, but did not get back until 12:00 midnight. By law the pilots are required to have 12 hours of rest before they fly again. This means that realistically we will likely fly around 2:00pm. This is the same schedule as the Norwegians yesterday. ALE has said that they will call us again at 12:15 and give us an update. The weather looks good so we have our fingers crossed.

I took a last (I hope) walk around town before meeting Ryan and Ron at Lomito’s for lunch. There are some interesting things about this city. It is apparently quite a wealthy city with most of the money coming from oil and gas, but some from shipping. While there are a lot of cars there are even more taxis. It is like being in New York City. Any time you look down the road there are at least a dozen taxis coming at you and more are parked by the side of the road. I guess that many people do not have cars and use the cabs as their primary mode of transportation. 

There are some parking lots, but most parking is on the side of the road. There are no parking meters however. There are parking agents on every street. They have a small ticket machine around their neck and walk up to parking cars and sell the driver a ticket. It seems to work well, but I don’t really know the pros and cons of it. 

The last oddity I will write about is the street crossings. First off there must be no by-law against j-walking because people cross at will at any point in the road. Secondly, when crossing at a stop light it is often a little unnerving because the standard driving style here is to go full out and then slam on the brakes a few feet from the light. As a pedestrian, it is unsettling to see a car roaring towards you and to wonder if the driver plans to stop or now. Later than you would like they slam on their brakes and come to a stop with little space to spare. 

We just got the word that we will be picked up at 2:00pm. This means we will fly around 4:00pm. The next blog you get from me will be from the bottom of the earth. 

I am off now to do my final packing and to get dressed in my polar clothing. 

To follow the weather during the expedition follow this link: http://www.yr.no/place/Antarctica/Other/Union_Glacier/ 

Antarctica here I come.
Summit Life! Scott out.

The Waiting Game

Today started out as a beautiful sunny and warm day. Then it quickly reverted to the standard cold, wet and windy weather we have become accustomed to. Really not much to write about today. I spent much of the day updating the software on my computer. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to erase the hard drive in my laptop the day I was leaving. I did not get everything loaded back in and have been struggling with a really slow internet connection to get all the updates loaded in. I think I am finally done. But we’ll see what happens.

After breakfast Ron and I walked down to the square to take some photos and do some souvenir shopping. It must be the last day of school for the local kids before summer holidays because there were numerous classes out at the square to get a class photo. All the students wear uniforms so they looked quite good for their photos. I even saw several school busses driving down the street loaded with kids and decorated with balloons and signs. Everyone was honking their horn and celebrating. It looked like a fun time.

There is a huge monument in the square with several different bronze statues on it. Just as in Russia there is one statue that is believed to provide good luck and most people that walk by rub their hand on the foot of the statue. Most of the statue is the dark colour of bronze that has been exposed to the elements for years. However, the foot is as shiny and bring as it was the day it was made. This is the sweet spot as they say.

Just as we were returning to the hotel the Norwegian South Pole team was getting on the bus to go to the airport. There are several very young people on the trip with very little or almost no polar or even expedition experience. I find it interesting that people elect to undertake such a big challenge without first gaining, what I would consider, the appropriate experience first. They plan to ski to the South Pole for December 14^th. This is the day that 100 years ago Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole. As he was Norwegian this is a big event in Norway and big celebrations are planned at the South Pole on the 14^th. The Prime Minister of Norway will be flying in for the festivities. Once the party is over, the team plans to kite ski across Antarctica for an additional 14 days to make a complete crossing. When I asked some of the members how much kite skiing experience they had they said “none”. Interesting I thought.

At 4:00 ALE came by to weigh our expedition bags and to take them to the plane. This is a good sign as it indicated that they think we will fly tomorrow. We are allowed a total of 160km of cargo for the flight and we can is around 150km so we have weight to spare. They will take these bags to the plane and load them on with all the other bags that are going to Antarctica so that the plane is ready to go at a moment’s notice. They will call us at 9:30 tomorrow morning to let us know what time we will fly. They said there is a 90% chance all will be a go for tomorrow.

We just got back from dinner. We tried a new place tonight that had an Italian focus. It was pretty good. I had Gnocchi in a cream sauce. We also found a Chinese restaurant that did not look too bad. Saturday night they have an all you can eat buffet for 3,000pesos (about $6.00). The food was quite inexpensive and that gave us pause as it appeared to be too inexpensive. Therefore, we elected for the Italian restaurant.

Soon it will be off to bed and then waiting once again to see if we fly. Chances are good this time.

Summit Life! Scott out.

Exploring Punta Arenas ...

Another day in Punta Arenas is another day closer to flying to Antarctica. The Norwegian South Pole team was put on notice to be ready for a call to the Airport Friday morning between 6am and 9am. This means we are next and will most likely fly Saturday morning and then hopefully immediately to Vinson with no delay.

Today was cool, grey and windy, but what else is new in Punta Arenas. There was not a lot to do today. I sat around in the hotel and worked on my book for a while. Yes, I am working on a book and have been doing so for around three years. I think writing a book is an even bigger mountain to climb than Everest.

Around 11:30 I decided to go for a run. I figured that perhaps I should try to maintain some fitness while I am here, plus it would be a good way to explore the city. I put on my trail shoes, my smelly socks, my fancy new Lu Lu Lemon shorts that I got for my birthday before I left, my Sherpa shirt, by running hat and my iPod and I was off. I ran down the main street to the water and turned right. The smell of ocean was strong in my nostrils as I sucked in air.

The waterfront is similar to the waterfront of most port cities. There is a combination of industrial, manufacturing, shipping, residential and park lands. One great feature is a dedicated bike path and a separate walking/running path so that there is no mix of cars, people, and bikes. I ran past the Dreams Hotel and Casino. This is where the cruise ships come in and is the finest, and most expensive, accommodation in the city. After that I ran past the shipping docks that were full of containers, forklifts, cranes and for some reason thousands of bundles of rusted wire. Past the shipping docks it turned residential with nice, but not huge homes.

All the nicer homes in the city have tall concrete walls with spikes on top surrounding them and a large gate across the driveway. ADT security signs are everywhere and every store, even the grocery store, has security guards with bullet-proof vests. This makes me think that the city has a high crime rate, but I have seen no evidence of this and feel totally safe. The people I meet on the street are friendly, not overly so, but not distant at all.

Past the residential area the land opened up with a few large ocean-side parks. They are not quite as fancy and lush as the parks we might have back home, but they are nice and attract the locals for walking and beach exploring. The water is cold so there is no swimming, but there are plenty of shells to gather and a lot of beach glass as well.

One park was an exercise park and they have all these metal machines for people to use. I sat on and tried out all of the apparatus as I went by; partly out of curiosity and party because it was a good excuse to stop running for a few minutes. One machine was like an elliptical, and one was like a leg press, another was similar to a shoulder press. Basically it was every exercise contained on a Nautilus machine and set into a stand-alone machine. There were even a few machines that mimicked the exercise gimmicks advertised on late night TV. I half expected Susanne Somers to be there running fitness classes.

Moving on I passed another shipping yard and came to what appeared to be a graveyard for old ships. These were not little ships, but huge tankers and cargo ships. Five or six of them were run aground and looked like they had been there for quite some time. One huge cargo ship was easily 300-feet long and presented a massive hole in its side. Another was even longer and had four tall masts that once upon a time would have held sails. All the ships were extremely rusty and had been stripped of everything of value and that could be re-used on other ships.

As I walked the beach looking at the ships I began to notice all the shells, the pretty rocks, and the beach glass passing by my feet. I walked up and down the beach for a while collecting the nicest specimens and enjoying the view of the ocean. Eventually it was time to start my return run.

On the way back I picked up a friend to run with me. She was beautiful, in great shape, very friendly, and had gorgeous blond hair. She was also a dog. Punta Arenas has over 11,000 wild dogs and one had chosen to spend some time with me. She ran right beside me like we had been doing it for years. Every minute or so she would look up to make sure I was still there and that she was right at my side. It was fun to run with a partner for a while, but she was not much of a conversationalist.

Eventually I turned up away from the water and my partner decided not to join me on this last leg of my run. I ran up the second main street which moves towards the city centre square at a slight upwards slope. Just like the other main street this one has two lanes of traffic separated by a large boulevard in the middle. This boulevard is full of walking paths, sculpted trees, monuments, statues and busts of famous people. This presents a contrast in times as this was obviously once a rich, proud and special place, but today much of it is in disrepair, and graffiti covers many of the monuments.

Close to the top of the hill I turned right and followed yet another once beautiful boulevard back towards the direction of my hotel. Just over an hour later I returned to my hotel. Although I was not overly excited about going for a run when I first set out, I am glad that I did it. I saw parts of the city that I would not have seen otherwise, and I did feel good from the exercise as well.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Ron, Ryan , one of Ryan’s friends Eric (he is guiding the Emperor Penguin trips in Antarctica and has skied to the North and South Poles as well as climbed Everest – there are a lot of over achievers down here) and I went for a drink at the Shackelton bar which is in a famous hotel used by Shackelton and his team when planning his two South Pole Expeditions. After that we went back to the pizza jazz bar where we had dinner the other night.

After dinner Ron and I explored the main square and I took some photos of the architecture and the craft sellers. We also got a glimpse into the youth culture as they hung out on their BMX bikes and skate boards in the square. One interesting fact about life in Punta Arenas is that a very large percentage of the population, kids included, smoke. There are no smoking by-laws and the restaurants are thick with smoke. It is difficult for a non-smoker like me to adjust to. I have not had to deal with smoke while I ate dinner for a very long time (at least not in North America anyway).

We then wandered slowly back to our hotel and retired for the night. All in all not a bad day. Nothing that exciting, but still good. Every day is a good day.

Summit Life! Scott Out.

In my last blog I ended with my key steps in achieving goals that keep me focused and motivated: 1) Have a Vision, 2) Develop an Action Plan, 3) Do it with a friend, 4) Reflect on progress.

Vision

Vision is the first Step. You have to know what you want to do and where you want to go. As Stephen Covey writes, “begin with the end in mind”. Without a clear vision I find myself floundering. I train, but it is half-hearted at best. Once I have a vision and have set a goal, my attitude completely changes. In this case I am referring to my vision to climb the 7 summits. My current goal within this is to summit Vinson in Antarctica.

It is not just in fitness and adventure where vision is important. Every company needs a vision and every leader needs a personal leadership vision. This vision guides all interactions and decisions and keeps us on a focused course.

Action Plan

Once the vision and goal are in place you need to develop an action plan to bring it all to life. This action plan must be simple and easy to follow or it will become drudgery and quickly abandoned. You must have a way to track your progress and to measure your success.

Do it with a friend

Solo pursuits are very difficult. The physical challenge may be the same, but the mental challenge is far more difficult when alone. Some people thrive on this challenge, but most of us perform better with others at our side. A friend can help in motivation and the pleasure, I find, is much greater when you have someone to share it with.

Reflect

I really believe that you need to reflect frequently upon your progress. Sometimes we can get lost along the way and not even know it. When I reflect I ask myself if I have stayed true to my vision and action plan or if I need to course correct. Do I intend to continue the plan, adjust it or end it. Through a reflection process I can objectively assess where I am and select my next steps.