You are not Running out of Air…You are Running out of Time
New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Nepali Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, were the first to ascend Mount Everest successfully in 1953. Nearing the end of their epic 29,029 foot climb, Hillary and Norgay encountered an imposing 39-foot sheer rock face – just within a few hundred feet of the actual summit – which would later be named the Hillary Step in honor of Sir Edmund. They had no idea it existed; and without a plan and even supplemental oxygen – they should have failed. But they had each other – they made a way.
The Hillary Step [pictured above] has frequently become a bottleneck for climbers, forcing them to wait significant amounts of time for their turn on the ropes and exposing them to a much greater risk for altitude sickness, physiological depletion, and death. This great mountain is littered with the bodies of many high achievers who died trying to achieve something monumental.
The Hillary Step [pictured above] has frequently become a bottleneck for climbers, forcing them to wait significant amounts of time for their turn on the ropes and exposing them to a much greater risk for altitude sickness, physiological depletion, and death. This great mountain is littered with the bodies of many high achievers who died trying to achieve something monumental.
What does this mean to us?
In the world of coaching, the Hillary Step is a potent metaphor:
At some point, all of us face what feels like
we are running out of air, running out of gas,
to get to an important goal.
we are running out of air, running out of gas,
to get to an important goal.
Maybe the challenge is all in your head. But there can also be issues with talent, resources, motive, or scope of impact.
What’s at Stake?
Waste more time at the bottleneck of your issue and lose your Mojo. That’s No Bueno. That’s bad Ju-Ju.
Solution?
Mountains are not climbed alone; neither are careers or other significant challenges. Maybe you feel like you are running out of air, or out of gas, or out of time. But one thing is for sure: if you get isolated, you are dead meat. NO ONE DOES WELL when they get isolated. And you are running out of time when you are spinning in your old stories.