Climb For A Purpose – O'Sullivan Wright

Eve of Our Kili Climb

Darcy — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 20:33:04 +0000

Anticipation has us all about to pop! Sharing three reflections of the day. Final briefing meeting in just an hour, dinner, bedtime, the last of the showers for six days and then time to “get it done”.

1. Climb your own mountain- wise leaders always know that when facing challenges or new territories, seeking good counsel is a success differentiator. However, there is a time to “let’s roll” and wise leaders act on what they know. A group arrived last night just finishing their climb and I noticed myself going into investigative reporter mode. How cold was it at the top, how painful were your hands and feet. Did you get sick? And how sick was that? Did you get any sleep? None of their responses gave me new information.

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I reminded myself I am on purposes, I have prepared and it is time to let go. All of this additional and redundant info was the wrong place to focus. When I woke up this morning, I made a conscious choice to Climb My Own Mountain. And, in that, I will have the peace that I have gotten good counsel and will act on what I know a day at a time, step by step.

2. Dance with the date you brought– A good golf teaching professional will talk about this phrase when their student is playing competitive golf. Once you are warmed up and begin, whatever game you brought to the course is the game you must play. We never gain a performance edge trying to change our swing or try new tips on the golf course. Today when I lay out on the hotel bed all of my clothes, my gear, equipment, fun snacks, etc another emotion kicked up. We will be in five different climates starting at 95 degrees at base camp with the Summit temperatures dipping below zero. While I spent days packing judiciously, the “I wish I had brought…” crept in. That Patagonia blue gortex jacket didn’t make it into the duffle and now that was on my mind. We counted out at home the number of hand and feet warmers and now it seemed that there would never be enough of them. Then the phrase, dance with the date you brought settled me down. We had arrived in Moshi, Tanzania, Africa and our climbing expedition had begun when we arrived. Focus on dancing with the date I brought to the dance!

3. Expect the unexpected– how would I personally handle myself if I traveled halfway around the world and my two duffles packed with essential clothing, equipment, diamox for altitude sickness and personal comfort “stuff” was lost as I was about to attempt Mount Kilimanjaro. Would my attitude plummet? Would I call it quits? Well this father/daughter team has given us infectious inspiration as this exact thing that happened to them. And, it has been a real gift to me. I have been able to deepen my appreciation for the two above lessons and see how we as a climbing team could share and help secure resources to back fill their equipment needs. Additionally, the grace and courage they have demonstrated is fuel for my heart. I will expect the unexpected in the days to come with two role models for personal leadership.

Today’s African Phrase Hakuna Matata- there are no worries

– Joan O. Wright, MSW

Feeding the Mountain Beast of our Own Making

Darcy — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 20:37:48 +0000

“The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Winston Churchill

Philippians 4:2- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

We are four days away from the start of our Mount Kilimanjaro climb, a mere 19,341 feet high. I am experiencing a range of emotions and not proud of two- anxiety and fear.

Since January we have trained diligently, raised a significant amount of money, studied our route, built a team, and let countless family, friends and colleagues know about our dream of Summiting. I have known our purpose deeply- we are doing this to raise money, resources and awareness for the neediest people in Central and East Africa.

Our Route

So why am letting fear and anxiety creep in??? As a trained therapist and executive coach, I know these emotions are normal and natural. However, I need to remember that stewing on these emotions will sabotage this entire experience. Thus, feeding the mountain beast of my own making. For example, Fear -what happens if I am one of the 50% that doesn’t make it to the top? Remember ABC’s Wide World of Sports and the Agony of Defeat? Anxiety-with all the adrenaline pumping through my veins that I will not be able to sleep at night, not to mention knowing me, I am NOT A camper. I am a Starwood Preferred Platinum traveler and stay at the best hotels I can because of my travel miles. Expressing my anxieties about sleep, my friend Ellen said, “why are you so worried about your sleep Joan? You can sleep when you get home.”Yesterday a former client and close friend just finished his firm retreat. He talked about his role as a leader. Despite the deep fears and anxieties his team has been battling for four years due to this economic climate especially in their industry, he knows he must lead himself and his team out of the survivor mentality. As a leader, he had to create a compelling vision for their future. One that engages not their negative emotions but the passion and gifts they bring daily to their work and their ability to delight and solve the biggest problems for their clients. Ding, Ding, Ding, that’s the focus I need to have. Not thinking about the next two weeks as just getting through- surviving the extreme physical, mental and emotional challenges but thriving in the experience of it. I need to raise my attitude towards the altitude I am traveling. I am reminded that this is why I signed up to do this in the first place. While being in Service to Central and East Africa- Senai Global and ALARM (African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries), I am on Mount Kilimanjaro to get stronger in leadership and life.

– Joan O. Wright, MSW, MCC

Climb for a Purpose – Journey UP to Significance

Darcy — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:28:48 +0000

Joan O. Wright – Climb for a Purpose
Counting the Days – 2:30 Minutes

August 31,2012

We have all heard the joke, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” And we all know the answer: “To get to the other side.” So when anyone asks me why I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, my answer is “To get to the other side.”Why? Because getting to the other side has very special meaning to me. It represents the side of Significance.

My book, UP – Pursuing Significance in Leadership and Life, uses climbing a mountain as an analogy with reaching the Summit as its ultimate reward. On the left side of the mountain is the Pursuit of Success to be “best in” what you do. And yet many who are on this side called Success feel a void. I know this void. Why? Because success can leave you still feeling empty, in spite of countless accomplishments. This is what makes getting to the other side of the mountain, the right side, so powerful and meaningful. Because the other side is focused on the Pursuit of Significance and being “best for.” Instead of emptiness, there is peace and contentment. There is excitement as you witness first-hand what being “best for” really means.

This blog is called Pursuing Significance because the pursuit is an everyday adventure into knowing ourselves and others better in order to do better and be better for others. Our willingness to be authentic in our pursuit of significance also means being honest and willing to let our vulnerabilities show.

I have a confession to make. When I publicly committed to making this climb, I exposed an aspect of myself that was selfishly real and that I am not very proud of. My initial excitement in making the climb was in how it would be best for me. About being in better shape and losing weight while getting to eat more because of the intense training involved. As I caught myself thinking these things, I reminded myself of one of the most important characteristics it takes to get to the side of Significance. The courage to look at oneself and acknowledge when we have gone astray, and then bravely reset the course to be focused on and for others instead of ourselves.

I am excited to be making this “Climb for a Purpose” with my husband, Mot, whom I love and admire so deeply. I am humbled by the generosity and support of everyone who is cheering us on during our climb. I am scared, and yet exhilarated by what I will learn and encounter along the climb. And I am grateful for this opportunity to get to the other side.

Most of all, I look forward to sharing the climb with you through this blog. Not just the climb to the Summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, but the climb we are all striving to make toward Pursuing Significance.

– Joan O. Wright, MSW