On top of the world - but where is the noise?

We have just witnessed one of the most incredible feats of human performance and a world record being set and no one is talking about it. ?

Two years ago, we were glued to our screens as Netflix released 14 Peaks, the Nims Dai story. An unthinkable achievement set as Nims broke the world record for climbing all 14, 8000m peaks on the planet. Moving the dial from over 10 years to complete this extraordinary feat to a matter of 6 months - something considered nigh on impossible at the time. ?

Fast forward 12 months and we get to witness greatness again. This time, with a Norwegian woman by the name of Kristin Harila. Kristin attempted to break this record last year, however, whilst on track to shave weeks off this record she was denied permits to attempt her final 2 peaks. 12 out of 14 in a handful of months is an incredible feat. This year, she kicked off her “She Moves Mountains” expedition, a fresh attempt to summit all 14 x 8000m mountains in a single season. A goal conquered last night when she stood on top of K2. Setting a new world record of 3 months and 1 day.??

Did I mention she’s doing this all without any supplemental oxygen? Superhuman.?

Let’s just think about that again; 3 Months, 1 Day, 14 of the world’s 8000m peaks with no supplemental oxygen. In the past 2 years we’ve seen the world record for this epic pursuit of adventure fall from 10 years to 3 months and a single day. Personally, my mind is blown.??

A special element to Kristin’s story is that she is about to become the face of alpine mountaineering, as a woman. This is a sport that has been dominated by male success and participation since its inception. Think of anyone you’ve ever heard of summiting high alpine peaks and I’m 99% sure that you’ll be saying the name of a man in your head. The easiest way I can try to sum up the extent of her achievement is if a woman was to break Usain Bolt’s 100m record by a second, or Serena Williams beat Roger Federer in a Wimbledon final. The world would be stunned, but not into silence. This would be front page news on every paper and website in every country in the world. However, right now, we have a near radio silence.??

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Having witnessed an incredible undertaking of human endurance and persistence, in the face of setbacks and so say, failure, 12 months ago, I believe there is much we can learn from Kristin. ?

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Life, and business is not easy. You can get so close to hitting your goals and objectives and fall short through no fault of your own. But the ability to be resilient, trust in your process and start over is invaluable. Like Kristin, someone who makes her living from walking up hill slowly, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot and repeat. ?

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You’ve got to put in the work. There is no shortcut when climbing a mountain. The same can be said for when building your team, product, or business. There is no magic formula that creates success. You have got to turn up every day to put in the work to hit your goals. ?

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It hurts. As the saying goes - when the going gets tough the tough get going. Enduring the tough times makes you better in the long run. You don’t need to be the first to be the first product to market in your space, the fastest scaling business of all time to be successful. Enduring the challenging times is what teaches you to adapt, adjust, and sometimes just simply hold on. It will mean that whilst others fall by the wayside and give up, you’ll be the last one standing.??

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When you’re faced with challenges, commit to one thing at a time and really commit. You can’t climb 14 x 8000m mountains at once. Climbing just one in a lifetime would be the pinnacle of achievement for most people. You can’t plan too far ahead or overstretch yourself. Take each task / day / challenge as it comes and do the best you possibly can on that one thing. ?

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Personally, I’m excited for the impact Kristin is about to have on the mountaineering community and hopefully for women in this world. I hope her story is pushed around the globe time and time again until her name is commonplace amongst our sporting greats.?

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There is no doubt in my mind that she will inspire a generation of girls to go out and take on the world and lead from the front or to push the boundaries of what is possible in their chosen fields. So, if you are having a day of it or thinking that your goals and aspirations are out of reach try and be a bit more Kristin. You might end up conquering your mountain. And as all the statistics, facts and experiences tell us, we’re all a bit better off when we have more women standing on top of the world. ?

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I hope this article has given you the inclination to follow her journey and share her story. She’s currently on K2, heading back to base camp after summiting her final 8000m peak. Without a doubt this will be one of the most spectacular world records that will be set in our lifetime and from my perspective one I don’t think we’ll see better whilst we’re alive. ??

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If you are interested in following Kristin’s story can find her on Instagram or on her website.?

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Instagram - @kristin.harila?

Website - www.kristinharila.com??

P.S. If you do book Kristin for a talk at your place of work I'd love to attend! :)

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