I made it back to Aspen safely after my
global volunteering and skiing adventure. Its hard to imagine a more diverse set of experiences:
- From teaching ski lessons to a billionaire in Aspen to teaching an impoverished 9 year old English in a remote village in the Himalayas.
- From Climbing and skiing 21,500 ft Mera Peak in Nepal to developing a social media strategy for a waste elimination social enterprise in Argentina.
- From meeting with a World War II war hero in Geneva to supporting a sustainable wood manufacturing enterprise in Indonesia.
- From leaving a fast-growing interactive marketing agency I co-founded to starting a new social enterprise: MovingWorlds.
Did that just happen... and in just one year? Yes, although technically it was just 9 months. No pictures, videos, or words will ever be able to describe the impact of this year. But, I will attempt a short-hand summary with 4 super-short stories:
Believe In Your Beliefs.
I started my journey with nobody believing in me but myself. As it turns out, that is all it takes. Rest assured that there will never be a shortage of nay-sayers and people telling you that your idea is not good enough, and you are not capable enough. Listen to their words, turn them into kindling, and use them to light a fire fueled by your own beliefs. You are good enough. You are strong enough. Believe in yourself - as scary as that sometimes is.
Alfredo Santa Cruz believed that he could lift his family out of poverty, even if the only material he had was the trash from the landfill he lived in. His parting words to me: "
Todo es posible, solo depende de su imaginacion" (Everything is possible, it only depends on your imagination).
Connect Into Deeper Relationships with Self, Others, and Planet.
I will never forget my last night in Tikot town. I had been teaching English and computers there for almost a month. As the normal afternoon thunderstorm cleared, I went to the high point of the village to watch the sunset. Clouds lit on fire, and burned off, painting the sky a brilliant black canvas for the stars to shine on. I sat underneath the stars, alone, and reflected. The Milky Way was never more clear - its light so bright that it cast a shadow of 8091 meter Annapurna Peak soaring above me.
In that profound moment, after the rain had turned to sun, and day gave way to night, I was reminded of the cyclical nature of earth. And I realized that if you travel around enough with open eyes and ears, you'll realize that we are destroying our planet. And in that moment, looking to Annapurna for inspiration on how I could have a positive impact, I realized that the simplest, most primitive cultures had it right: nature is a spirit worth protecting, honoring, and worshiping. When respected, nature gives, sustains, and enriches life; when disrespected, it seeks absolute vengeance. The power of Tikot had nothing to do with computers, and everything to do with my new friends and family. Climbing in the Himalayas has nothing to do with skiing, and everything to do with learning how to respect nature. Relationships with people and our planet are the most important things you will ever have.
Do it NOW, Do it AMAZING.
Face the fear and do it anyway. In the sleepy, beautiful town of Wanaka, New Zealand, a nonprofit with an office in the middle of the dump is the biggest employer.
Wanaka Wastebusters has defied all logic. A nonprofit, started by its community and committed to eliminating waste is the most creative busienss I have ever seen. Ten years ago when it started, the mayor considered it an eye-sore and publicly bet $100 that it would not last a year. Needless to say the mayor is gone while the completely self-sustaining nonprofit is growing, and even putting on national awareness campaigns to reduce trash. Their slogan "After all, how hard can it be?" continues to inspire me.
Do what you set out to do, and do it better than anybody thinks is possible.
Fail, Reflect, and Grow.
Everyday, you have the opportunity to do something remarkable that will change your life, if you go for it. And if you can face the fear and do it anyway, win or lose, you will start a movement. I documented the story of Phil and his successful climb of Mera Peak because his story was absolutely inspiring. He summited Mera Peak 8 years after he was completely was bed-ridden and told he would never be able to walk again. It wasn't the actions of that one day that got him to the top of Mera Peak - it was the past 8 years of training that gave him the foundation to be successful. For me,
MovingWorlds will not be a success because of all the work I will do, rather, it will soar because of everything I have done, everything I have failed at, and most importantly, everything I have learned from.
Give up all hope of a better past, and use it to create a beautiful future.
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| Phil and I at the summit of Mera Peak |
