The Rhino Principle, Chapter 2 Part 2 - 'The Frozen Lake.'

The stations of Jasper, Alberta and Sydney's Central are completely different. One is a maze of tunnels and platforms, the other open to the elements and simple in construct. Different scenery, a different side of the world and a different purpose for the trip but the same passion for travel and adventure. My current journey was focused on my love of the rhino. Unlike the bears, eagles and moose of the Canadian Rockies, these majestic animals were in captivity and at the centre of much debate. Many present the view that their captivity aids the protection of the species from their hideous slaughter at the hands of poachers. Others argue differently. Whatever the standpoint with regard to zoos and safari parks, one thing is not in dispute, the poachers are winning and the rhino is in serious danger of extinction.

I had been sitting quietly contemplating my trip to Dubbo and the future of the rhino when suddenly I laughed aloud. This was not a reflection of the serious plight of the animal but a memory of what happened shortly into our journey from Jasper. When we left in our hire car, the morning was bright and cheery as we headed South on Highway 93. The views were as spectacular in a car as they were from the comfort of the Rocky Mountaineer. I love to drive, particularly when exploring new territory. This journey was a serene 235kms and would take us about 3 hours. It started majestically with a sense of high spirits and a clear purpose: we were taking mum to see the stunning, turquoise waters of Lake Louise, the place in the world she most wanted to go. There was a sense of fulfillment from the moment we left Jasper!

Then our morning changed. As we reached the Icefields Parkway we suddenly found ourselves driving through a snow blizzard that swirled viciously around the car. It had appeared from nowhere and it brought a change of mood and moments of absolute concern. Repeatedly the question 'should we turn back?' ran through my head. Although no words were spoken, I could see from my brother's worried eyes, he was asking himself the same question. For once, turning up the music in the car was not relaxing as I gripped the steering wheel more firmly than ever before in my life. The car slid and I gripped ever harder. My brother even grabbed the door handle for reassurance.

I drove on in a determined silence asking myself more questions:

Why could I be so focused, so single minded & determined to achieve this objective, particularly when it was to satisfy my mother’s goal? Why not just turn around and head back up the highway? Did it really matter that much after all we had already seen. For some reason it did. It really mattered. The desire to please my mother was strong. This 'please others' mentality, especially important or powerful figures in our lives, can be an incredible driving force and one that is immensely satisfying. At other times it can be narrow, blinding and comes with personal risk. In a business context you can sacrifice your values, beliefs and sometime colleagues in this regard.

Where, at certain times and in certain situations, does such steely resolve come from? How do you maintain that resilience and persistence through the day to day ups an downs of life, despite setbacks and barriers? The ability to devleop a fortitude and mental toughness is a critical requirement in today's world. That ability to keep going when the chips are down. I call it #rhinorationale.

How do you maintain focus? Why are people blown of course so easily and frequently, allowing distractions to interupt their progress? Why do people allow self-doubt to creep into their mind and blur their vision? Positive self-talk, aligned to strong and powerful visualisation and 'triggers' are powerful mental techniques to counter self-doubt and keep the main things the main things.

Does it all start with CLARITY? Is it clarity of purpose, clarity of goal and clarity of action? Is clarity defining? Is this the difference that makes the difference?

It would take me a longtime and many subsequent experiences to truly understand the essence of Sir Isaac Newton's 'All I have is clarity.' For me, when clarity truly emerged, my purpose became clear. The more I thought, spoke and wrote about it the clearer and stronger it became. 'GiFT631' was born. A simple but powerful defining purpose shapes life, our thoughts, actions and behaviours. My journey to my purpose has been a long and winding road, shaped through many experiences great and small but it has been worth it. It enables me to see forward and draw strength from the experiences of my past.

As I sat on the train waiting to depart to Dubbo my mind moved from the snow blizzard of Highway 93 to my friend Tim Jarvis, the highly regarded environmental scientist and hugely respected adventurer & explorer. Tim has recreated Sir Ernest Shackleton’s epic journey of survival, retraced the steps of Sir Douglas Mawson and achieved many other notable climbs and polar expeditions. In the case of Shackleton and Mawson he recreated their endeavours with the same equipment they used in the Antarctic 100 years previously. I recalled two of the Shackleton quotes, Tim had shared with me:

'By endurance we conquer' and

Both seemed so relevent as we drove through the Rockies. As I thought back to that drive through the snow, having Tim in the car would have been brilliant. What would he have made of my concerns? Tim always carrys on. He finds deep physical reserves and importantly the mental toughness to keep going, to keep focused on the journey and the immediate steps and tasks ahead. He seeks constant learning and has the ability to connect to a deeply resourceful side of himself. My life may be more sheltered than Tim's and my purpose different, but I believe it has emerged as strong.

I love to use symbols & images. The flag in the arctic pole, the rhino, the vision board & on this occasion the beautiful turquoise waters on an old, battered postcard. After one final glance at the card, we pushed on through the storm and into the area above Lake Louise. We parked and made a brisk walk in the cold, down to the Chateau. The surrounding mountains looked as imperious as on the postcard, the chateau as magnificent and the beautiful, turquoise waters of the Lake were……… frozen, totally and deeply frozen. Philip and I looked at one another, speechless until he uttered the obvious:

‘It’s frozen.’

‘It is.’ I replied with a rueful smile as I walked past the warning sign ‘Don’t walk on the Ice.’ Mum scolded me as I strode further and further out onto the frozen lake. The sun's glare on the perfect white of the vast arena of frozen ice was blinding and powerful. The air was as prestine as what we inhaled in Jasper. It was amazing to be alive, even though we had not seen all of what we came for.

We had travelled from the UK and Michigan, USA via Toronto and Vancouver to see those beatuiful turquoise waters of this stunning Lake. However, it was not to be. I looked at mum and Philip and we laughed. We were there so we created a different moment, a different memory to recall and one that brings joy and puts a smile on my face to this day. I see any film, video, postcard or other image of Lake Louise and I am back there in a moment. It is a 'trigger' that creates a state of happiness, togetherness and joy.

I frequently use visualisation to see success and picture desired outcomes. Before I start a conference speech I see the audience smiling & clapping with excitement as I finish. I always pick out two people in my mind, one tunring to the other and saying 'that was amazing.' It takes me to my ideal performance state and into my 'conference speaking zone.' As I sat on the train, I decided to work even harder at harnessing the power of both visualisation with such strong 'triggers' to create a rich and positive mindset, fuelled by optimism and possibility.

We finished that day in the Canadian Rockies in high spirits. We had created a special memory, different to the one we expected but one that mattered.

Attitude determines everything. You have disappointments and things do not always go perfectly or even to plan. However, I am lucky enough to be able to make choices. To adapt to be reassess and find the opportunity in everything. As the old Indian proverb states;

'I had no shoes and complained, until I met a man with no feet.'

As another story about shoes had taught me, it is all about attitude. *

‘Lets enjoy the moment Phil. We’re here, mum’s here, the ice is here, the Lake is here although we can't see it, it's still beautiful and…..it’s different but so what. Lets go and have tea & cakes in the chateau!’

Tea in the chateau then, coffee on the train now.

Tim Jarvis: https://timjarvis.org

* message me for details of both the shoe salesperson story & one of my greatest learnings: L/C+10%