Lona Parten: Co-Founder of The 1st LT Tyler Parten Foundation: Featured February 2011 Guest

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” – John Maxwell

©Michael Brown: Soldiers to the Summit expedition team; Nepal 2010

Q: You recently returned from the climbing and filming expedition, Soldiers to the Summit, that took place in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal. Tell us more about this extraordinary journey and how you become involved.

A: It’s odd sometimes how things come about. My oldest son, 1st LT Tyler Parten, had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa after his 2007 West Point graduation with his younger brother, Daniel. He had always talked about it being a life-changing event for him. He was planning to climb it again upon his return from his deployment in Afghanistan. He had discussed it with me and a few of his friends and some of us even said we would go along. He had many dreams and this was just one.

After Tyler was killed in Afghanistan in September 2009, I knew I was going to take on Mount Kilimanjaro in his honor. I contacted Jeff Evans, of Mountain-Vision, the guide service my sons had used in 2007 and told him to fix me up. It was during our “pre-Kili” training climb in Colorado in June 2010 with Jeff and others that I learned of the upcoming “Soldiers to the Summit” Expedition.

Jeff was part of the original climbing team that helped the first blind person, Eric Weihenmayer, to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Michael Brown filmed this and the documentary “Farther than the Eye Could See” went global. The group wanted, for their 10-year reunion of this historic summit, to give back. They were working with World TEAM Sports, a non-profit organization that organizes and hosts a myriad of challenging sporting events, to do something spectacular with the disabled population.

Jeff explained to me that somewhere during that time Tyler was killed others on the team had thought of doing something with the disabled military veterans and the idea grew. After talking with Jeff and then with Jeff Messner of World TEAM Sports I decided to join. I wanted to represent a side of war tragedy as a family member of the fallen: the ones that don’t return.

When this happens lives are forever changed and I wanted to
bring awareness to this.

“Among the many tragedies of war are the serious injuries inflicted upon
our soldiers. When they return home, these heroes often have
disabilities that may seem insurmountable. The goal of the Soldiers to
the Summit Himalayan Expedition(SSHE) and World TEAM Sports is to
demonstrate to everyone that great things can be achieved no matter how high the obstacles.” – ©Soldiers to the Summit

©Lona Parten; Daniel Parten, Lona Parten, Anna Laura Parten and Tyler Parten

Q:  What kind of challenges, both mental and physical, did you face compared to your climb on Kilimanjaro?

A: Oh my goodness! These were two totally different experiences. I did the Mount Kilimanjaro climb for myself and for Tyler. Nepal was for others! I had made friends with part of the group climbing Kilimanjaro prior but knew no one, other than Jeff, going into Nepal. Physically I was fine. Don’t take that statement wrong though. Anytime you get to that kind of altitude it’s going to be tough, but I was strong from years of exercise and had really trained hard.

I had come back from Africa and had only 4 weeks to recover before Nepal. I was drained and had to gear back up. Jeff knew Nepal was going to be emotionally tough for me and tried to prep me prior to the trip. My heart was still so tender from the death of my son and I had broken down several times in Africa.

It’s funny! I earned the nickname “Mama Simba” from the African guides and porters on the climb. It means “Mama Lion” and I knew I was a fighter but wasn’t sure how far I could push myself. I have to say Nepal was more of an emotionally challenging trek for me because of the length of time and video interviews. I would listen to the veteran’s stories and my heart hurt for them, their families, my other children, my family, and myself.

All I could think about was “If Tyler had returned home without a limb or two, with his and my determination, he would be climbing mountains.” I had to draw inward many times. Looking back, I’m really surprised I endured the physical and emotional challenges in those three months of Africa to Nepal.

©Daniel Parten; 1st Lt Tyler Parten

Q: What was the most important part of the journey for you?

A: To live!! To show that life has to continue on. Life is for living and caring for others. I have to walk the walk not just talk it!

Q: Tell us about The Tyler Parten Foundation. The mission, how people can get involved, and perhaps if it made you look at the children in Africa and Nepal in a special way?

A: The desire for a foundation was set within two days of Tyler’s death. It was actually his sister, Anna Laura, (18 at the time) who came up with the idea during the flight to Dover Air Force Base with me to welcome his body back to American soil. We had already discussed the fact that people would want to do something in his honor and money and flowers didn’t seem appropriate. That wasn’t Tyler.

She was talking with one of the pilots about this and he suggested we start a foundation. We agreed Tyler would feel the same so we put the word out immediately upon return and opened an account called “The 1st LT Tyler Parten Memorial Fund.”
The legalities and mission statement came about two weeks later. After
reading his emails again and pouring over his Afghanistan photos and
comments on Facebook it came to us. Children! Tyler was a world
traveler. He was fluent in Arabic but could speak other languages as
well and he always took time for children no matter where he went.
While in Afghanistan, as he led his platoon in remote villages he
befriended the children first, then the elders warmed to him and his men
which opened up dialogues between them.

He stated,“I’ve had many opportunities to interact with the children which are the future of this country. And so I always try to show them a little affection. Seeing them interact with Americans for the first time puts a smile on my face. Ignorance breeds hatred and education is the answer. If not, we will be fighting for generations to come.” ©2009 Tyler Parten Initiatives

So the mission statement: “To promote peace one child at a time.” That’s what it’s all about.
Through books or even improving school conditions, one child at a time,
we will try to show that Americans care, in Tyler’s honor. I certainly
thought of this while traveling. Especially in Nepal while trekking from
one village to the next knowing I was only one country over from where
my son lost his life. I remember thinking, “How many children grow up
never knowing anything but their surrounding valley?” The simplicity
of their lifestyle was beautiful. That I couldn’t deny. But sometimes
the ramifications can be deadly if that child grows up only knowing one
thing. We can see it in America as well. We aren’t immune. Education
IS the answer.

©Tyler Parten Initiatives: 1st Lt Tyler Parten
Q: What helps you get through the tough times and how do you make the most of the best times?

A: Wow! This is a tough one. To be perfectly honest, during the toughest times right after his death I turned to prescription drugs, like Xanax and sleeping pills. I don’t recommend this to anyone but I did it. The months right after were horrible and I couldn’t seem to function without them. A time came several months later that I made a conscious choice to rid my body of the drugs. I remember flushing them down the toilet but then the heartache really set in.

Though I had numbed the pain for a while I knew I was emotionally
stronger and had to experience it. It’s part of the process of healing.

Today, when the tough times hit, I don’t stay down long. I’m learning ways to pull myself out of it. Music is a huge part. We are a musical family and I draw on that.

When it comes to the best times, I try to absorb everything about that
moment and burn it into my memory. I take in the sights, the sounds,
the smells and the feeling of the environment around me and close my
eyes to absorb it all. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this
over the years and I can recall memories of special times like it was
yesterday. As a matter of fact, Tara, Daniel’s new wife, (both 2nd LT’s)
told me Daniel shared that with her the first weekend they met. They
were standing on top of a mountain in Ecuador and he taught her how to
burn that moment into her memory. That’s pretty special, huh?

©Lona Parten; Nepal 2010

Q: You recently went skydiving for the first time! What was that
like…and would you do it again?

A: Oh my goodness! That was crazy! My son, his wife and my daughter did it last summer so I thought I would give it one shot.

My birthday was in a few days so I thought “what a birthday gift.”  So this past Thanksgiving my daughter, her boyfriend and I jumped tandem.
YIKES!!! 14,700 feet up, 60 second, 2-mile free fall at 120 miles per
hour! I never opened my eyes until the chute opened and I really thought
I was going to die during the fall. I was so afraid that if I did open
my eyes, I would freak out and then mess up the guy I was jumping with
and I surely didn’t want that. Would I do it again? Not unless my life depended on it. Ha! I survived this one, landed safely, so I’m not
pushing my luck!!

©Lona Parten: Lona on her first skydiving adventure!

Q: What new adventures do you have planned on the horizon?

A: I have nothing planned at the moment though I keep my eyes and ears open all the time. Daniel and Tara just got married right before Christmas and with holiday travels I think I’m still recovering. One place on my bucket list though is Machu Picchu in South America.

I don’t know when but I’m pretty sure, Lord willing, I’ll get there.

Q: If every person could strengthen just ONE quality that would change the world in a profound way, what would it be?

A: If every person could strengthen their ability to step outside of their
selves, the world would be a better place. Imagine that. Every person
putting others before themselves. What a beautiful concept. *

To learn more about Lona and her inspiring journey please visit: http://www.lonasvoice.com

©Lona Parten

ABOUT LONA PARTEN

I am a woman that was married for over 25 years and mother of three. Though a registered nurse, I devoted my life to raising my family. In 2007 my husband and I divorced and I found myself trying to make a new life. I was a certified personal trainer and taught group exercise instructors nationally with Healthways to safely lead classes for the elderly. I then went into Hospice and used my skills to assist patients and their families dealing with the pain of the last moments of a loved one’s life.

I began to feel at peace.

My whole life then turned on a dime with one phone call.

My oldest son, a 1st LT was KIA in Afghanistan on Sept 10, 2009. He was a 2007 top 10% West Point graduate, musically gifted, strong in his faith, fluent in Arabic and a mountaineer.

My second son, also a student at West Point, was studying in Ecuador at the time and my daughter was in her first year of college in Arkansas.

My focus shifted!! Though separated, my children were still a priority and I felt I had to make something positive come out of our loss. I had to keep going.

This past August I climbed to the summit of Pike’s Peak with members of the 3-61 Calvary out of Fort Carson. I then went on and conquered the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa on August 22, 2010 in Tyler’s honor. In October I was part of the “Soldiers to the Summit” Himalayan expedition team in Nepal.

It has been a tough year but we are moving on! My second son, a mountaineer himself, has since graduated from West Point along with his new wife and they both are now 2nd LT’s in our Army. My daughter is now in her second year of college.

“My future goals are to continue to work the foundation we set up in Tyler’s honor and to enlighten the American public of our soldier’s sacrifices.”

To learn more please visit: The 1st LT Tyler Parten Foundation

Dan Austin: Founder of the 88bikes Foundation: Featured Guest June 2010

“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” – Mother Teresa

©Dan Austin: Moment of Happiness in Nepal

Q: How did the idea for 88Bikes come to you?

A: 88bikes was sheer serendipity. My brother and I planned a bike ride in Cambodia. We wanted to give our bikes away to two lucky kids. We located an orphanage, but there were 88 kids, which meant that 86 kids would feel pretty left out! So with the help of our friend Nick, we launched a fundraiser and within 4 days had all the donations we needed. The scene of happiness was so incredible we were hooked. We knew we had to do this again.

Q: How do you decide where the bikes should go?

A: We work to locate partner NGOs in-country, and then identify locations where the bikes will do the greatest amount of good. Typically we select rural locations across the developing world.

©Dan Austin: Dan speaking with local children in Nepal

Q: Can you take us through the journey from “donation to delivery” of a bike to a child or village?

A: Sure! Someone donates a bike, typically via 88bikes.org. We line them up with a bike number. After we’ve selected our endowment locations, we travel in person to each site. We give a card with the sponsor’s picture to the child recipient. On the back is a world map, showing where the sponsor lives and where the child lives. Kids love this! We take a picture of the child with her new bike, holding her sponsor’s picture, and we give this back to the sponsors. Volunteers follow-up with bike repair workshops and apprenticeships.

Q: What kind of response are you getting from the children and villagers who receive bikes?

A: It’s pretty incredible. Kids love their bikes and get the same feeling of freedom, autonomy and happiness that I received when I was a kid with my first bike.

©Dan Austin: A young girl showing a photo of the people who donated a bike for her to ride and enjoy.

Q: Once a bike is on the ground and in use, how do the locals properly maintain their bikes?

A: We bring in volunteers to employ bike mechanics to run workshops to get every kid up to speed on bike repair. Some kids who show a predilection for bike repair are lined up with apprenticeships with local mechanics.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge since launching this project?

A: It’s been a blast. All challenges have been fun wrinkles to figure out.

Q: In what way has this project changed your own life?

A: After starting 88bikes, I felt that my life came into balance. I hadn’t even realized it before, but I’d been wanting to have some sort of outlet for philanthropic work. 88bikes happened, and things seemed to fall into order.

©Dan Austin: A young boy in Nepal receiving his first bike.

Q: What is your ultimate vision for 88Bikes and how can people get involved?

A: We are focused on one child and one sponsor at a time. So, while we’d like to give bikes to as many kids as possible, every step has been a surprise and a blessing and we’re just enjoying the ride. We’d like to set up sustainable bike shops at sites around the world and work with artisan bike manufacturers in-country to get the best possible bikes to the kids.

©Dan Austin

ABOUT DAN AUSTIN

Dan Austin is a writer and filmmaker living in Brooklyn, NY. Dan is best known for his 1999 documentary, True Fans, and for the book True Fans that chronicled his bike journey across America with his brother, Jared and his best friend Clint. A musical version of True Fans is currently in development in New York. Dan is the award-winning director of seven documentaries and author of three books (including the recent “The Road Trip Pilgrims Guide”); conversant in four languages, Dan has explored old paths and new throughout the world. His ‘universal joy principle’ was the inspiration for 88Bikes, and provides the thematic thread for his forthcoming 88bikes documentary. Dan is the inspiration, voice and leader of 88bikes, directing the project and working closely with our partners and bike sponsors to make 88bikes a huge success.

The 88Bikes Foundation has a very simple goal: to provide a sustainable, joyful, empowering form of transportation to young people in developing countries, in situations where these children have been challenged to be their own heroes due to war, conflict, poverty, disease, or other regional hardships. 88Bikes was started in 2006 by Dan Austin, Nicolas Arauz, and Jared Austin. In November 2006, 88Bikes started its first project in partnership with the Friends of Cambodian Children, to raise funds for 88 bikes. After exceeding its fundraising goal in just 2 weeks, the organization gave 88 bikes to 88 kids at the Palm Tree Orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in January 2007. In January of 2008, 88bikes completed its second project with the Global Youth Partnership for Africa in Patongo, Uganda, donating 200 bikes to children at a refugee camp in this war-torn region of Northern Uganda. 88bikes has since added endowment locations in Uganda, Peru, Vietnam, Nepal, India and Ghana. In addition, 88bikes provides the kids with bike maintenance training, safety workshops, group bike rides, and bike-based job skills.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT 88Bikes please visit: http://www.88Bikes.org

Tiffany Walke Peterson: Founder and President of The Lighthouse Principles: Featured May 2010 Guest

“There are three constants in life: Change, Choice, and Principles. The Change will come. Principles Are Universal. The Choice of how you respond is yours.” - Tiffany Walke Peterson

Q: You are the founder and president of The Lighthouse Principles, Inc. Tell us more about your company and how it can help people from all walks of life achieve their dreams and goals.

A: The Lighthouse Principles is a radiant source of resources supporting individuals and organizations in achieving their purpose, goals, and desired results governed by timeless and universal success principles, habits, and strategies. When we follow principles, we know that our lives, our businesses, and our relationships will be led in alignment with our best selves and the results we build will be long lasting and sustainable. We focus on building a solid foundation individuals and teams can draw upon over and over again to guide their path, decisions, and aspirations as they navigate the exciting and rocky waters of change, growth, and transition in the pursuit of success.

Q: What first inspired you to become a success coach, trainer and speaker in the field of human potential?

A: Interesting question. I’ve been drawn to some form of teaching since I was a teenager, although the platform and focus of my teaching has transformed over the years. When I first went to college, I was focused on studying elementary education, specifically special education towards children with disabilities. I worked for two years in local public school classrooms as I attended college classes. I loved working with kids, yet it didn’t seem like the best fit for me. I switched majors to Communication and specifically majored in Speech Communication (public speaking) although at the time that was more about getting a diploma than any known desire to be a speaker.

I went to work in the professional and personal development industry on the Sales and Marketing side of the business and found myself doing exceptionally well, setting sales records, and creating great levels of success for myself. I fell in love with the business of the development of human beings – whether that focus be professional, personal, or financial.

I was hooked on helping people to grow!

Due to my consistent sales success, I was asked to begin teaching other sales associates my techniques, methods, and strategies on the side of billing business. What started out as training a few classes transformed into many promotions and opportunities within a corporation to become a full time trainer and coach for the employees of this company. It was in this role that my desires to train, speak, and inspire others grew deep in my heart and soul. For me, I felt I had found my purpose in life ~ to edify and inspire others to discover and live their own divine potential in all areas of one’s life. In this role, I often had the clear and distinct thoughts and feelings that strongly spoke, “This is what I am meant to do.”

I feel the most alive, the most passionate, and the most radiantly joyful when I am speaking, training, or coaching individuals, teams, or audiences in supporting them to find clarity and solutions, hope and inspiration, and realistic, proven tips and strategies to create their best life and desired results.

Q: In your experience what holds most of us back from taking a dream or goal from vision to reality?

A: I find there are two key things that hold any individual back from taking action on a goal or a dream.

Clarity – Many clients that I work with are not clear or are fuzzy about what they want. Oftentimes they are more clear about what they don’t want versus what they do want. They will rattle off expressions like, “I don’t want to be fat, broke, lonely, tired of my job, etc.” When I ask them the opposite of what they want from those things, there is often a lack of clarity, vagueness, or uncertainty about what they do want. Janet Attwood has best said, “When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life and only to the extent that you are clear.” It’s rather simple.

Are you clear on what you want? Specifically clear? It’s one thing to state “I want to be healthy” and an entirely different level to clearly state, “I am loving my ideal body weight of 135 pounds by June 1st, 2010.” So begin with clarity – ask yourself questions like, “What do I want? If I could create anything I want, what would it look like?” And then write those responses down with as much detail as you can. If you’d like a new car, new relationship, new job, new house, etc. write as much detail as to what it looks like, how it feels, location, etc. to the ideal.

There are scientific reasons to this in what is happening in the brain. For instance, have you ever noticed that once you’ve begun researching a specific model of car or just purchased that car, you now notice that car on the road all the time? They have been there all along, yet your awareness to a specific detail is different and you now can recognize it. The same thing applies with any other goal. The more clear it is in your own mind, the easier it is to go after that goal, recognize the people and resources in front of you, and for the results to show up in your life.

Fear – If you’re clear on what you want, yet still feel held back from taking action, fear is the likely cause interfering with you being able to move forward. Whether it’s fear of humiliation, being judged by others, fear of failure, fear of change, fear of success, etc., fear is a strong emotion that feels rather real to the person experiencing it.

Fear is often described as False Evidence Appearing Real ~ in other words our mind is playing tricks on us and creating the fear we are experiencing. See, the brain is wired for security and for certainty. Anytime you begin moving towards something new, unknown, or uncertain, the brain responds with fearful feelings because it isn’t sure of the new turf that you’re wanting to explore. Even if you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired of a situation, it still is what you know and therefore, certainty creates feelings of safety. Branching off into a new adventure isn’t certain and therefore, can feel both exciting and scary because it is the unknown.

Two tips to remedy fear: #1: Ask yourself, what is it that you want me to know? Be kind and gentle with yourself and simply ask what this is here to teach you? Give yourself permission that you can always make a new decision so if the new levels of success you achieve don’t suit you, you can always go back to the status quo you’ve been living. I know that sounds silly, yet it’s quite empowering to feel that the decisions aren’t FINAL. Decisions are always flowing everyday.

#2: The quickest way to dissolve fear is to take action. This may sound counterintuitive because the very thing holding you back from taking action is fear. Trust me. Waiting for the fear to subside before you act will never happen. You will wait a long time and then deal with another negative feeling: guilt. The “what if I would have _____” thoughts that can plagued your mind. Even if it’s small steps, that is perfect! Take action everyday. You can always course correct, yet you will never know unless you act. Many of my clients find that by facing their fear and taking action, they become more empowered and confident.

We all have fear – every single one of us. Yet, will you allow the fear to control you or will you control it? This is your life and your dreams. Pursuing your passion, dreams, and goals is your birthright – they are YOURS and it is up to you to honor them by living them. You’ll survive the fear, no matter how big it may feel to you right now. I promise.

Tiffany Walke Peterson

Q: What then, are the three most important steps a person can take in order to create success in any area of their life?

A: Clarity – Get as clear as possible on what you want from life, what experiences you want to have, things you want to achieve and keep that clarity in front of you in the forms of posted goals, affirmations, vision board, etc. to keep your conscious and subconscious mind on the lookout of creating that success for you.
Action – Get into action everyday! The Universe doesn’t pay you for what you know, it pays you for what you do. The quickest way to get what you want is to DO something about it. I like the motto, “Ready. Fire. Aim”. You’ll learn more and get what you want faster than you will thinking about it and analyzing it.
Accountability – Create relationships in your life that will provide guidance, support, and accountability of you becoming your best you. Hire a coach. Find a mentor. Create a mastermind group. Accountability and support combined create a loving and nurturing environment along with focused action on your goals. It will transform your results.

Q: What do you suggest for people who do “great” at temporary change or goal setting, but once they get back in the groove of their normal environment, i.e.: family and friendship dynamics and work related stress or patterns, they seem to get stuck again and again without really moving forward?

A: I t is quite common for people to attend a workshop and have a temporary “buzz” around making new change or going after a goal, yet when the emotion wears off that person is left to their habits or default setting. For instance, a popular and well known example is New Year’s Resolutions. One begins the year with aspirations, commitments, and resolve to create change and achieve goals for that year; however, according to Franklin Covey, most people have already given up on their New Year’s Resolutions by the third week of January. It’s not to say that the epiphany never sticks, it’s simply the rare versus the common. Research consistently reports the concept that it takes 21 days to change a habit and 90 days to change behavior. Therefore, when you stick to a new change or goal for 90 days or longer, it now becomes your new habit ~ and habits equal results. Change the habits and you will change your results!

I recommend that when one is serious about making change or achieving new goals in their life to create accountability in their regime.

Accountability can be in the form of an accountability partner, coach, or mastermind group. I also recommend that this support be a minimum of weekly interaction or more to create consistency and thus a greater propensity for success. When you have the support system set up and structured into your life and into your regular environments, your results drastically change. When it is in place for 90 days or longer, you’ve now crossed the threshold of a new habit in place to sustain success. As a coach myself, I recognize this very need for my own goals and dreams and I have structured into my life accountability partners, coaches, and mastermind groups. I meet with my accountability partner three mornings a week by phone and with two separate mastermind groups each once a week. These relationships are crucial factors and influences in my own success, productivity, and results. It’s best been said that, “Accountability, not ability, determines your success.” I give a loud “AMEN” to that!

Q: How does a person find a great coach or mentor?

A: I encourage those looking for a coach to look at two things: Character & Competence. Character meaning WHO the coach is as a person. Are they honest? Do they follow through? What does your intuition tell you about them? Competence: Do their results speak for themselves? Are they walking the talk? Have they successfully coached or mentored others? When you have character and competence, you’re sure to win.
Identify someone you view as successful or creating in their own results what you want in your life and approach them about mentoring you to do the same. Ask around. Ask others for referrals to coaches that they are ecstatic about.

There are many coaching programs, philosophies, and coaches available today. Get clear about what you are wanting from a coach, ask good questions, and follow your intuition on who is the best fit for you.

Q: What is the best part of what you do?

A: The very best part of what I do is helping others to see their own divine potential, to build their confidence in themselves, to restore hope and faith in their lives and their dreams. I love supporting others to create success habits that always produce the desired results. It’s being the “Lighthouse” for others on their journey, guiding their path with true principles, and watching the joy of them discovering their own strengths, talents, and abilities they didn’t know they had or have forgotten due to disappointments or challenges in their life.

I believe that everyone is the author of their own life – that they have the answers within themselves. I simply light their way on their journey to get them from where they are to where they want to be.

Tiffany Walke Peterson teaching and inspiring others.

Q: Who has influenced and inspired you the most in your own life and successful achievements?

A: It is challenging for me to pick just one person or one influence for there have been many people, mentors, books, and experiences that have positively influenced and inspired my own journey.

When I ask this question, there are three people/groups that my intuition speaks to me: First, Jesus Christ. Regardless of one’s religious beliefs and this isn’t a forum to preach, yet in honoring my intuition to be authentic in my response, I would first and foremost acknowledge Him in my life. His teachings, His life, and His love is a source of constant inspiration and guidance in achieving my goals and dreams. Love is the most powerful, transforming, and healing energy on this planet and I take incredible inspiration in Him.

Secondly, my own mother. I have been blessed with a mother who is the epitome of service, of love, and sharing her life and talents with others. She inspires me and she has always cheered me on 110%!

Third, Jack Canfield and the networks of incredible human beings that he attracts to his work. Jack is a wise, warm grandfather role in my life. He is so wise, kind, and generous with his talents, teachings, and in sharing with others great secrets of success. Due to his incredible influence, he attracts amazing, incredible, and caring human beings into his work and thus, my own network has significantly expanded with simply beautiful and inspiring fellow travelers on the path. *

ABOUT TIFFANY WALKE PETERSON

Tiffany Walke Peterson has an impressive and detailed repertoire of experience in the personal and professional development industry. Tiffany is a seasoned success trainer, speaker, coach, and facilitator helping individuals and organizations alike in creating stellar results and lasting change in their professional, financial, and personal lives.

Before founding her own company, Tiffany worked with and for many popular authors and groups, both selling and teaching the content for Franklin Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Jack Canfield, The Success Principles, and The Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and Robert Kiyosaki, of the world famous Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. The opportunity to be mentored and trained by some of the world’s best authors, teachers, and content has significantly influenced her own successful results and the results she helps others to achieve today.

Tiffany’s career began and successfully grew in the sales and marketing side of the professional and personal development industry. Tiffany serviced many Fortune 500 accounts in her career, including FedEx, Delta Airlines, and Siemens while working closely with C level executives. Tiffany received many promotions in her corporate life experience, managing multiple sales teams and projects, with a responsibility for sales budgets that ranged from $7.5 million to $40 million in annual sales revenue. Due to her record breaking sales achievements, she was sought after to train and mentor her proven sales style, process, and techniques to other sales associates, of which ultimately led her career and her passion for training, speaking, and coaching to evolve into what is now her own business. Tiffany has successfully trained and coached hundreds of sales people, with an average of 30% increase in sales revenue due to her proven methods.

Tiffany is the Founder and President of The Lighthouse Principles, Inc, a training and development firm offering proven methods and strategies to align individuals and organizations in creating success with their own goals, results, and purpose.

Tiffany is a radiant, dynamic, and captivating influence for positive change. Affectionately named, “The Hope Giver”, Tiffany is highly sought after to speak and train to groups and causes of all sizes and influence. She is well known for her passion of success principles and personal growth. She is vibrantly on purpose when she is speaking, coaching, and inspiring others to discover and achieve their own personal and professional potential.

Tiffany and her family reside in Salt Lake City, Utah.

To learn more about Tiffany

and The Lighthouse Principles, Inc. please visit:

www.thelighthouseprinciples.com

Upcoming Mt. Everest Mind Camp guests and events:

VISIT our HOME page to learn more about the amazing guests we have visiting our site for 2010!

Accomplished mountaineers, award winning authors, leaders in the development of human potential and awe inspiring philanthropists. It’s a huge menu of opportunity and we are excited to serve it up and fill your mind and spirit with motivation!

So visit early and often and in the meantime enjoy life and live your dreams!

PREVIOUS GUESTS: CLICK HERE

Jo and Rob Gambi: The first married couple to climb the 7 Summits and ski to the Poles: Featured February 2010 Guests

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.  – Eleanor Roosevelt

©Rob and Jo Gambi: The South Pole

Q: When did you first begin to have the idea of climbing the 7 Summits?

A: In the late 1990’s – just after we were married (about 2 years before Rob had his second episode of cancer), Rob had broken his leg and consequently had lots of time for reading. One of the books he read and passed on to me was “Seven Summits” by Dick Bass (the first Seven Summiter). This planted a seed in our imaginations…even though it was in the realm of extreme fantasy at that time!

Q: What challenges were you faced with in the initial planning stages and how did you address them as a couple?

A: There were many challenges but the 4 key ones were:

1- We had a sense of urgency – ‘Carpe Diem!”, as we didn’t know what the long term future held for Rob’s health and therefore potentially our time together.
2- We only thought in terms of taking a year off work – so it was a matter of what we could fit in.
3- We were self funding – so we had to reorganize personal finances.
4- There were specific seasonal windows for climbing certain mountains – this meant we had to fit together a jigsaw puzzle of expeditions.

©Jo Gambi on Ama Dablam

Q: You completed the 7 Summits at a blistering pace in 1 year and 38 days. How did you maintain your physical health and your mental focus during such a challenging time?

1- Preparing well with months of full time training (climbing, strength and cardiovascular) before starting our expeditions, gave us a strong physical and mental foundation to build on.
2- Prioritizing adequate rest and recovery time between expeditions was key.
3- Pacing ourselves so we didn’t peak too soon due to over training (but we were usually off on our next expedition before we had time to peak!)
4- Knowing we didn’t want to miss any precious opportunities. If we missed the seasonal window for any mountain, we knew we’d have to wait for another year…which might mean never.
5- Knowing tenacity was the key. Having faced some big challenges together prior to our successful expeditions, we both understood that to survive (and succeed) in the face of any difficulty required tenacity, at times until it hurt. Plus as people, we simply get drawn to a challenge and don’t like giving up – which can be a helpful disposition at times!

©Rob and Jo Gambi: Mount Elbrus

Q: What were the most difficult obstacles you faced while climbing together and what strengths did you rely on to overcome them?

A: Some examples were…

1- When we feared for Rob’s life in Nepal, because he was critically ill at high altitude and the helicopter couldn’t reach us. I (Jo) tried to remain calm and reassuring for Rob in a distressing situation (despite how I felt), and we both prayed, desperately, for God’s help.

2- When we felt so utterly exhausted on our final summit pushes, especially on the 8,000 meter peaks, Cho Oyo and Everest, that we both doubted we’d make it. Yet consistently – when one of us was struggling and weak, the other was always stronger and able to encourage and help. In this way, together, we always managed to press on.

3- When Jo developed a throat infection just as we were attempting Aconcagua’s summit, because I (Rob) knew how she performed and moved, I had the ability to help judge if it was right or not to push on. Accurate judgment of your own and others ability at altitude is critical to survival.

©Rob Gambi on Ama Dablam

Q: Rob, you faced cancer not once, but twice prior to your bid for the 7 summits. What kind of mental or emotional tools did you gain from this experience that later you applied in the mountains?

1- Focusing on small, achievable steps to just keep going, and realizing the overwhelming end objective is made up of many achievable, smaller ones.

2- Knowing through experience that the strength of the human spirit can override the body’s weaknesses gave me confidence in new challenges I faced.

3- From previous support and feedback of loved ones (in particular Jo), I’d come to understand how I responded and coped during difficult experiences. Understanding yourself when performance is paramount and there is no margin for error, is critical.

Q: Communicating with and supporting your climbing partner (who also happens to be your spouse) is crucial to staying alive and healthy in the mountains. How, if at all, has your experience together changed the way you communicate and support each other when you are not in such extreme conditions?

A: Having been through plenty of stressful, dangerous situations together, it helps put everyday problems and frustrations into a healthy perspective. If you have your health and your life is not in danger – then things can’t be that bad!

Also, having seen each other in our worst and most heroic moments, we have ultimately become more appreciative, tolerant, forgiving and supportive of each other…which helps us continue to build a mature, loving relationship.

©Rob and Jo Gambi on the summit of Mount Everest

Q: What new goals have you set for yourselves as a couple and as individuals?

A: We have discovered the world of triathlons and bike races which we love. Last summer we did some fantastic races in legendary regions of the Alps and next stop will hopefully be an Ironman.

We still have plenty of new routes and peaks on our dream list, many just locally in the European Alps.

We love the opportunities that our book and motivational speaking brings us to contribute to worthy causes and encourage others on their life journeys, and to this end we are working on a new inspirational book.

Most importantly, after years of trying for a family, we are expecting our first baby…a whole new adventure! So our biggest goal is to be good parents and introduce them to some of the many wonders of this amazing planet!

Q: In your experience what are top three elements of succeeding in any area of life?

A: Passion, Preparation, Perseverance.

©Rob and Jo Gambi on Ama Dablam

To learn more about Rob and Jo Gambi please visit: www.robandjogambi.com

ABOUT ROB AND JO GAMBI

ABOUT ROB

Rob was born in Sydney, Australia in 1958; just four years after his parents had immigrated there. He grew up with his brother and sister close to some of Sydney’s best beaches and as a consequence has always loved being in or on the water!

Throughout his school years Rob was an active sports person taking part in as many sports as possible including tennis, martial arts, soccer, running and many more.

After finishing school Rob studied at University and completed degrees in Actuarial Studies and Statistics and obtained an MBA. He then worked for an investment banking company, in corporate finance and securities markets till the age of 31. After this he had a short career break before joining an asset management company in 1989. In 1991 he was seconded by his company to their London operation and has lived in the UK since then.

During this time Rob had a successful career in the asset management business when he was responsible for a significant part of the business with responsibility for almost half of the assets under management and a sizeable group of fund managers and other staff located in multiple international centers.

In 1995 Rob first met Jo on a sailing course on the south coast of the UK. The second time was in Chamonix France while Jo was on a climbing holiday.They were married in September 1996 and since 1995 aside from their love of sailing, skiing and windsurfing Rob and Jo have spent many weeks climbing and hiking in the UK and the European Alps.

In late 2000 Rob was diagnosed with his second bout of Cancer (the first occurring in 1993). This led to a major operation, plus an aggressive course of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy treatment. After recovering from this, he and his wife Jo decided to take some time out. This led to Rob leaving his job in 2002 when they commenced their travels together.

Since returning from their travels, Rob now works as a Managing Director with UBS Global Asset Management.

ABOUT JO

Jo was born in the UK in 1969 and grew up with her two brothers in Droitwich in the West Midlands and later in Penn, Buckinghamshire.

From an early age Jo was involved in various physical pursuits from ballet to skiing to climbing and her family holidays always had an outdoors focus and were often spent sailing on the south coast and hiking in the Lake District. In addition to the usual school studies, Jo regularly represented her school and competed successfully over many years in both short and long distance running at county and district level.

After ‘A’ levels Jo went on to complete a 4 year degree course in ‘Business Management and Clothing’ at the Metropolitan University of Manchester. Whilst studying, she used her summer vacations to work and travel abroad, paying for it with her part time jobs she had in term time. During this time Jo worked for Camp America as a sailing and lifeguard, Operation Raleigh In Kenya on community projects and various community/ church based projects in Bolivia, Greece and Malaysia.

Between her first degree and starting work at Marks and Spencer she studied for 1 year at King’s Bible College in Scotland for a ‘Diploma in Biblical Studies’. In 1992 Jo joined Marks and Spencer’s on their ‘Graduate Management Training Program’ and continued on to work for several years in various buying departments throughout both Menswear and Womenswear as a Product Technologist.

In 1997 Jo retrained to be a Physiotherapist and in 2000 started working at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), one of the country’s leading NHS trusts. She also worked for several seasons for the London welsh Rugby club. After Rob’s second episode of cancer in 2000, Rob and Jo decided to take some time out and left their respective jobs to travel in 2002.

Since returning, Jo has written a book – HOLDING ON – about their adventures which has been recently published by Piatkus.

2010 Guinness World Record book of the decade:

“FASTEST TIME TO CLIMB THE SEVEN SUMMITS (BOTH LISTS) BY A MARRIED COUPLE. Rob and Jo Gambi (UK) achieved the fastest (and first) Seven-Summits ascent by a married couple, climbing the highest peak on each continent in 404 days for the Kosciuszko list (which assumes Mt Kosciuszko as the highest point in Australasia).

The couple later climbed the Carstensz Pyramid (aka Puncak Jaya, the continents highest point if Indonesia is included) in 799 days. Joanne is also the fastest woman to climb the Seven Summits.”

For more on the Mt. Everest Mind Camp guests and events: VISIT our HOME page to learn more about the amazing guests we have visiting our site for 2010!

Accomplished mountaineers, award winning authors, leaders in the development of human potential and awe inspiring philanthropists. It’s a huge menu of opportunity and we are excited to serve it up and fill your mind and spirit with motivation!

So visit early and often and in the meantime enjoy life and live your dreams!

PREVIOUS GUESTS: CLICK HERE

©Mt. Everest Mind Camp 2010

Dan Mazur: Mountaineer, Motivational Speaker and Philanthropist Extraordinaire: Featured January 2010 Guest

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.” – Anatole France

©Dan Mazur on Ama Dablam

Q: What continues to fuel your passion for climbing and organizing expeditions in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal?

A: I really enjoy climbing and trekking together with friendly teams of men and women of all ages and working with the local people.

Q: Who are your role models (climbers and non-climbers) that inspire you as a mountaineer and as a philanthropist?

A: I was taught to climb by Anatoli Boukreev and friends. Kurt Diemberger taught me to keep going as long as one can. Greg Mortenson taught me to try and help the local people.

Q: How has your position as a leader in the high mountains around the world shaped your leadership within the Mount
Everest Foundation?

A: Well, I try to do what I can to give back to the local people who help us so much. We couldn’t do our climbs and treks without them so we have to give back.

©Dan Mazur

Q: How do you internally manage the thoughts and emotions surrounding the ethical decisions that come up in a situation like what happened on Everest in 2006, with David Sharp who was left to die by 40 other climbers on their way to the summit vs. Lincoln Hall, who was discovered and rescued by you and members of your team?

A: It’s not easy to turn back just below the summit of Everest in order to rescue a total stranger. If I ever get sick up there and need help, I hope someone like the members of our team will be up there to help me.

Q: As an Adventure and Motivational Speaker, what are the key elements of your talk that seem to resonate the most with your audience?

A: Strive to get the audience thinking about their choices and what they would do in a difficult situation. It’s not always so clear cut, not always so easy to make the right decision or even know what the right decision might be.

©Dan Mazur

Q: Can you give us 3 points that a person from any background could implement in their work and home life, that also applies to climbing in the mountains?

A: *Take your time and think through carefully what your options are before you act. *Always have a fall-back plan or a “Plan B”. *You are only as good as the people you are with. *The rope team can only go as fast as it’s slowest member.

Q: What is on your suggested reading list for us in the categories of self development, philanthropy and mountaineering?

A: Self development, go for Anatoli Boukreev’s book: Above the Clouds. Interesting lessons in there. Philanthropy, get Greg Mortensen’s book: Three Cups of Tea. Mountaineering, there is so much, but why not check out Maurice Haerzog’s, Annapurna. The French were first!

©Dan Mazur

Q: What is currently your most important project within the Mount Everest Foundation and how can people get involved?

WWW.EVERESTSERVICEWALK.ORG and also check out, WWW.REMOTENEPALSERVICEWALK.ORG

Q: Finally, why climb and trek mountains?

A: It’s a great way to be a part of a team effort with friends and local mountain people and their families, get in touch with the natural world and really feel alive! *

ABOUT DAN MAZUR

Daniel Lee Mazur was born in Illinois. His family came from Złotów, Poland, and Bristol, England, where his ancestor Humphrey Hooke was a Merchant Venturer and Alderman during the 16th century. As a boy he spent his summers exploring the wilderness waterways of Canada by canoe with a YMCA group. Each summer the family would load the Ford station wagon with the kids and the dog and visit the national parks for a two week camping trip. He was an active Boy Scout for many years and was taught to ski by his father Robert. At age 12 his mother Mary started bringing Chinese students home to live in the house, so he learned his first words of Chinese around the dinner table and while doing chores. He first tasted the high peaks at age 17, while a student at the University of Montana, climbing Gunsight Peak and the Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park.

When he is not climbing Everest and Himalayan Peaks, or traveling the world giving slide shows to raise money for charities such as Mount Everest Foundation for Sustainable Development of Nepal and Tibet, or the Mountain Fund, he lives in Bristol, England, and Olympia, Washington. He is a member of the Alpine Club, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a member of the American Alpine Club, a fellow of the Explorers Club, Pacific Northwest Chapter, a member of the British Mountaineering Council, the AMGA, Mountain Leader Training Board, Certified Guide Federation, Access Fund, member of the Mountaineers Club, holds a certification in Diesel Mechanics, a PhD in Social Policy Analysis from the Heller School at Brandeis University, read for the PhD at the University of the West of England in Bristol, and holds a BSW from the University of Montana.

Having reached the summit of Mount Everest on an expedition together with Anatoli Boukreev in 1991, he has subsequently climbed six more of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks and led expeditions more than 15 times to the world’s highest, including Everest 7 times (x), K2 2x, Lhotse2x, Makalu, Kangchenjunga 2x, Cho Oyu 2x, Manaslu, Gasherbrum 1, Gasherbrum 2 and Shishapangma.

His current employer, www.SummitClimb.com, are now in their sixteenth year of organizing expeditions to Tibet, Nepal, China, Africa, Pakistan, Tajikistan, India, and North America.

Dan has lived in England, Asia, and North America, but spends more and more of his time lecturing and raising funds for the Mount Everest Foundation for Sustainable Development in Nepal and Tibet, or the Mountain Fund, building hospitals, schools, and environmental projects with the low-income families who live around Mt. Everest, in both Nepal and Tibet. He leads “www.ServiceTrek.org” for the MEFSD. In 1993, Climbing magazine named Dan the “most successful to ever launch an expedition”. As an articulate but humble Himalayan explorer and scholar, he has been active in climbing the highest peaks of the Himalaya for many years. His personal link with the region and its peoples began in 1986 when he traveled, trekked, and climbed throughout Tibet and Nepal with friends. Since then, he has been personally leading and organizing successful overland, trekking, and mountaineering expeditions for 18 years.

In a May 2003 article written by John Climaco, Climbing magazine said: “How has Dan Mazur become one of the most successful Himalayan mountaineers?” When you meet him in person, Dan comes across as humble and unassuming. But take him to a high mountain, and Dan becomes the true and naturally gifted mountaineer that he is. His style has won him plaudits from the professional mountaineering fraternity, and it wins high praise from all who are privileged enough to climb with him on his expeditions.”

Dan’s written, photographic, cinematic, audio, and cyber works are featured in The London Times, The New York Times, The Bristol Evening Post, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, Associated Press, Reuters, BBC Television, NBC Television, The Discovery Channel, The Seattle Times, The Olympian, The Independent, The Guardian, People, Sports Illustrated, Reader’s Digest, National Geographic Adventure, London Alpine Journal, American Alpine Journal, Ito-Yuki Journal of the Japanese Alpine Club, Himalayan Journal, High Magazine, Climb Magazine, Climbing Magazine, Climber Magazine, On the Edge, Outside, Rock and Ice, Vertical, Explore Magazine, EverestNews website, Mountainzone website, BBC Radio and National Public Radio. *

For more on the Mt. Everest Mind Camp guests and events: VISIT our HOME page to learn more about the amazing guests we have visiting our site for 2009!

Accomplished mountaineers, award winning authors, leaders in the development of human potential and awe inspiring philanthropists. It’s a huge menu of opportunity and we are excited to serve it up and fill your mind and spirit with motivation!

So visit early and often and in the meantime enjoy life and live your dreams!

©Mt. Everest Mind Camp 2009

Maria Coffey: Explorers of the Infinite: Featured December 2009 Guest

Maria Coffey: Author of Explorers of the Infinite

But to gain a perfect view, one must go yet farther, over a curving brow to a slight shelf on the extreme brink.

- John Muir, The Yosemite

Maria Coffey, adventure guide, outdoors journalist and award winning author of Explorers of the Infinite: The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes joins us this month to discuss her latest book.

Q: How did you become inspired to write Explorers of The Infinite?

A: During the research for my previous book, Where the Mountain Casts its Shadow. I interviewed a number of the world’s top mountaineers. In response to my question about what compelled them to repeatedly leave their loved ones for dangerous expeditions, they all spoke of feeling totally alive in the mountains – an intensity of feeling they could not reach in any other way. Some expressed it clearly as a spiritual experience; many others hinted at the same. I became interested in the idea that spiritual experience is one of the major drives for extreme adventurers; that they reach what I call the “transcendence zone” by pushing themselves to the limit in the wild world, just as the mystics of most spiritual traditions have done, for centuries past.

I explored these ideas in one chapter of Where the Mountain Casts its Shadow. But one chapter wasn’t enough – I realized this was a huge subject that I wanted to investigate further. Then my literary agent asked me if any of the mountaineers had told me about ghost encounters, and of course some of them had, as well as stories about telepathic communications, precognitive dreams, astral travel, and bouts of superhuman strength. I began to wonder if such phenomena were linked to the transcendence zone.

Extreme adventures go out into the wild world and take away the safety nets, and in order to survive they have to finely sharpen their senses and intuition; they become plugged into their environment in a way most of us rarely experience. Does this deep connection with the wild world open channels into levels of consciousness and powers that are not yet understood by science? This was just one of the questions I set off with when I started to research the Explorers of the Infinite – and it’s just as well I had no idea how long and challenging a journey it would be!

Q:  What is the greatest insight you gained from your interviews with the explorers, adventurers and climbers featured in the book?

A: I finally accepted there really are ‘mystery zones’ out there. I’d touched on them myself in the past – after I’d drowned and been resuscitated, when I had ‘visitations’ from my lover after his death on Everest, and while I was kayaking down the River Ganges – but I had always let my skeptical side win me over. I think it’s very likely that science will eventually find explanations for many of the phenomena reported in the book. My research taught me how much more science still has to discover about the brain, and the nature of human consciousness.

Q: Can you describe how that insight has influenced your own adventures and travels around the globe?
A: It allowed me to understand why my own spiritual impulse is so connected to the earth, to nature. When extreme adventurers go out into the wild world, taking away the safety nets and fine tuning their intuitions, they enter a state our ancient ancestors were in almost constantly, in a world where danger was ever present. Those hunter-gatherers sought to live in harmony with the unpredictable environment by worshipping the earth, its elements, its wild animals. Their life was shot through with a spirituality that was all about the earth. I think this has been hardwired into us, and helps to explain why most people find solace in natural places, why they go to nature for ‘re-creation’.
I’ve always been drawn to animistic traditions. When we were kayaking down India’s River Ganges I was deeply moved by the elemental rituals I saw enacted all along the way, such as pilgrims fashioning lingams from mud and scattering flowers over them, or scooping up river water and offering it in their palms to the rising sun. During our six week journey I began following the Hindu tradition of immersing myself three times in the river each day, to ask for the protection of the goddess believed to be embodied in its water. It was an instinctive act; afterwards I wondered if I’d gone a bit crazy, but my work on Explorers of the Infinite showed me that I had simply been realizing my deep connectedness to the earth, to the river I was traveling on. Oh, and by the way, I never once got sick on that expedition, despite all the immersions and drinking Ganges water on a number of occasions!

© Maria Coffey in Vietnam

Q: In your radio interview with Oprah you mention how mountaineers and other extreme adventurers seek out a “total immersion in nature” and how this can ignite and strengthen the inner intuition or sixth sense we all have yet typically remains dormant. For someone who is not inclined to be athletic or adventuresome in the outdoor world, how can one in their everyday life, discover and awaken this sixth sense?

A: Opening up that sixth sense at will isn’t easy. Originally it happened to me through things I didn’t choose – a near death experience, a bereavement – extreme experiences that literally cracked me apart and, I now realize, opened channels to other realms of consciousness. Later, when I chose to push my own limits during some of long kayaking expeditions, I touched on that sense again. The reason that it isn’t easy to access in everyday life is that we don’t need extreme intuition in the way that the extreme adventurers do, as they repeatedly put themselves in life or death situations. What is possible, though, is to feel a “deep immersion’ in nature – and for that you don’t have to throw yourself off a cliff. It can happen in your back yard or on your balcony: what could be more elemental than sowing a seed in soil, nurturing the growing plant, eating its fruits or enjoying its flowers?

The key is to be open to the miracle you have just participated in. And to pay attention. From your apartment window you can pay attention to the cycles of the moon, to what direction the wind is coming from, to how cloud changes presage a shift in the weather. You can stand in the middle of a city and think about how a tree grows up through concrete, and all the birds that take shelter in its branches. Or, simply, how amazing it is to be standing on a planet that is whirling through space!

Q: What have you found to be some of the biggest differences in character between someone who never ventures beyond the border of their home town and someone who lives a life filled with frequent travel to the far reaches of the world?

A: It’s impossible for me to generalize. Exploration can take so many different forms. In a very poor village on the shores of Lake Malawi, Africa, we met a teenage boy who scratched out a map of the world in the sand, and proceeded to name a staggering number of capital cities. When I pointed to where we lived on the west coast of Canada, he thought for a moment then said, “Trees. Fish. Much rain.” He had an intense curiosity and thirst for knowledge; each night, like many other villagers, he secretly listened to the BBC World Service on the radio (an illegal act then, in the days of Hasting Banda’s dictatorship.), and later plied us with questions about a world that he would never physically reach, but could still travel to in his mind.

Q: For many people, life has become complicated or inundated with media stimulation, “to do” lists, technological conversations vs. personal connections. With your own busy travel and guiding schedule, presentations, and book writing, how do you keep things simple, authentic and grounded in your own life?

A: Leading people on our guided trips really grounds me. It always takes me back to the absolute magic of my first encounter with a special place. I’ll soon be heading to the far reaches Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, to lead a kayaking trip. It’s the most otherworldly landscape – paddling there is like stepping through the looking glass. We’ve been going there since 1994, yet seeing a group become enchanted and transformed during a week of kayaking among the maze of islets is so rewarding. It allows me to rediscover the enchantment – the schedules and book deadlines melt away, and I’m totally in the moment.

Q: What is the most important element you would like for readers to gain from reading Explorers of The Infinite?

A: An understanding of what drives extreme adventurers, and what lies on the ‘far side’ of human experience, for all of us.

©Maria Coffey making new friends in the Galapagos Islands

Q: You and your husband have created a successful travel company, Hidden Places, and spend a great deal of time guiding in places that support your passion for kayaking. You also in recent years launched the Elephant Earth Initiative. Can you tell us a little bit about this project and how others can get involved and make a difference in the lives of these amazing animals?

A: Since 2007 we’ve been doing research on elephants in India and Thailand, and Dag has worked as a voluntary veterinarian in elephant sanctuaries. Earlier this year we set up Elephant Earth Initiative, a not-for-profit branch of Hidden Places, which seeks to improve the lives of the world’s largest land mammal by engaging with local people in areas where wild elephants live and where captive elephants are kept. I’m writing this in Thailand, where we have returned to do further research on elephants, and pinpoint projects that we will partner with or initiate. In the future we will be running fundraising elephant trips in SE Asia and Africa, and we will also be looking for people to work with us as volunteers on our various projects.

We’ll be posting information on our web site: www.elephantearth.org, and it’s a good idea to subscribe to our general newsletter, which you can do directly on www.hiddenplaces.net. Also, please become a friend of Dag Goering on Facebook, as he will be regularly posting news about our elephant work.

©Maria Coffey

Q: I am deeply curious whether there has been a personal shift or conscious transformation between what you chose to experience in the past with a partner traveling for months at a time away on expeditions, and now intimately traveling the world with your husband? Even creating a travel company together and sharing that adventure with others through guiding, speaking, writing and presentations.

A: Joe drew clear lines between his mountaineering – which was central to him – and the rest of his life, including me. I found this hard – I would have liked to have been a much bigger part of his life, and to travel with him to the Himalayas, but this was something he wouldn’t even consider. It forced me to become ultra independent, and to develop a protective shell, qualities which stayed with me after his death.

When I first met Dag, he told me that he wanted a partner who was at the center of his life, with whom he could share all his adventures. I remember being really shocked – this was so different to my experience with Joe! It took me a while to peel away my hard shell and get used to such deep intimacy. Also, for a time, I suffered badly from separation anxiety – whenever I was apart from Dag, I feared that I would never see him again. It was as if I couldn’t trust happiness. But gradually I got over that, and I’ve long felt beyond lucky to be able to share so many incredible experiences with Dag, who is my best friend and soul mate, and to work with him so closely. Thinking about it, I now have the sort of life that deep down I’d longed for with Joe….. and that finally came my way, more fully realized than I could ever have imagined. *

ABOUT MARIA COFFEY:

Maria Coffey is an adventure guide, an outdoors journalist, and the author of twelve books, including the award winning Explorers of the Infinite: The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes. Her first book, Fragile Edge, was an account of her relationship with a high altitude mountaineer, and her efforts to come to terms with his death after he was lost without trace on Everest.

Coffey’s articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Globe and Mail. She is also the author of four books for children.

Coffey was born in England, where she attended the University of Liverpool, and trained as a teacher. In 1985 she took a one-year teacher exchange program on Vancouver Island. Here she met and married Dag Goering, a veterinarian and photographer, and began to reinvent herself, embracing writing and adventure as her twin paths in life. For the last two decades she and Goering have wandered the globe together, pioneering kayak expeditions in remote destinations and establishing Hidden Places, an adventure travel company that runs trips in places such as Vietnam, Croatia, Norway, the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica.

As part of their new non-profit initiative, Elephant Earth Initiative, Coffey and Goering are doing extensive research on the plight of wild and captive elephants in Southern India and S.E Asia, and running trips to help raise funds for the elephant projects they support.

Coffey lives with her husband in Victoria and on Lasqueti Island, B.C. For more information please visit:

www.hiddenplaces.net

www.elephantearth.org

Click on the book cover below to learn more about Explorers of the Infinite and other award winning books Maria has written!

©Stephanie Graham: Mt. Everest Mind Camp 2009

Chris Waddell-One Revolution: Featured November 2009 Guest

Chris Waddell

“Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” – author unknown

Q: On September 30th you successfully completed the first paraplegic summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Congratulations!

What inspired you to choose this particular mountain?

A: I’d heard that Kilimanjaro was a “walkable” mountain. That put it at least within the realm of possibility for a handcycle. Plus it is the tallest mountain in Africa. The context was important. I think people understand challenging a mountain more than they do disabled sport and I wanted a way to ask people to look at limitations or perceived limitations in a different way.

Chris Waddell and the "Bomba", a specialized one-of-a-kind 4 wheel handcycle created specifically for this expedition. ©Mike Stoner

Q: As a Four-time Paralympian you are very familiar with what it takes to achieve extraordinary success as an athlete. Can you share with us the incredible effort, time and planning it took to put together the right team and equipment to make your dream of reaching the top of Kilimanjaro a reality?

A: This was way bigger than anything I did in Paralympic sport because we approached the whole issue: technology, publicity, fundraising, training, etc. It was a complete team effort. Dave Penney turned conversations about the vehicle into reality and he stretched my idea of physical effort from something finite like my previous competitions to something bordering on infinite–going for huge times and distance. The film is a huge part as well–telling the story, which I didn’t feel happened enough in my athletic career. The entire team sacrificed and raised money to bring this to light–an effort that might well be greater after the climb–definitely a greater need to keep moving forward and raise even more money.

Chris Waddell and his team in Africa on the path to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. © Mike Stoner

Q: While in Tanzania you and your team did more than climb Kilimanjaro. Please tell us about the One-Revolution Foundation and the power and impact it is having in developing countries.

A: One Revolution has two goals: visibility and opportunity. Visibility should be obvious with media and the film. We’re also donating wheelchairs and handcycles to people in Tanzania hoping to help people take the first step.

We’re all the product of our opportunities. In a deviation from our wheels focus we donated a prosthetic leg to a former Kilimanjaro porter who lost his leg in a rock slide while working on the mountain. Tajiri climbed and summited with us becoming we think the first Tanzania leg amputee to summit. He’s become famous and who knows how many people he might affect.

Q:  One Revolution is also the name of the documentary focusing on your climb, your story and the message you hope to bring to many around the world. When can we expect to see the film?

A: We’re working on post-production right now. Raising funds will be a challenge but sooner than later. Tentatively, we’ve thrown out March as a target date.

Q: Twenty years ago you were involved in a skiing accident that left you paralyzed from the waist down. Even with resources and support available to them, after such an event some people get stuck in a state of mind that makes it difficult to reinvent a new life in which they feel productive, socially nourished and creatively empowered. Yet you are well known personally and professionally for your incredible inner strength and your expansive, positive attitude towards what is achievable. What has made the difference for you in terms of how you decided to live life before and after the accident?

A: I think you’ve hit on the human condition with this question. How do we do things? How do we stay motivated? The answer to me is that we keep doing them. We keep moving forward. For all of us there’s a tendency to stop. I’ve been lucky to surround myself with great people, to have had a lot of support, and to have had dreams. I don’t know if there’s a bigger answer than just moving forward each day.

Q: Often when one huge goal is achieved, many new ones appear on the horizon calling us forward. What is calling you forward at this time and what would you like to be sharing with the world in five years?

A: The idea is that Kilimanjaro creates a platform. Telling the story, creating opportunities, giving people a chance to see themselves and others differently, I’d like to do it around the world. That’s my hope for five years from now, but hopefully it happens sooner too.

Chris Waddell reaches the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro! 9/30/09 ©Mike Stoner

Q: Who in your life or in the world inspires you the most and why?

A: So many people. We’re surrounded by inspiration. My parents who’ve given so much of themselves so that my brother and I can have great lives–the people who have the guts to go against convention–those pushed by passion–and those who do things about which I can only dream.

Q: What hobbies and activities do you enjoy while at home in Park City, Utah?

A: Recreational sports–skiing, hiking, golf, reading, writing, the Red Sox.

Q: How can people learn more about becoming part of the momentum of One Revolution?

A: Please visit www.one-revolution.org

Video clip from the documentary of Chris and One Revolution

ABOUT CHRIS WADDELL

“The First Paraplegic to Summit Kilimanjaro”

Background: Chris Waddell was a promising young skier at Middlebury College in 1989 when a skiing accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Determined to get back on the slopes, he began skiing on a monoski roughly one year after his accident. A little more than two years later, Waddell was named to the US Disabled Ski Team.

Waddell went on to become the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history, winning 13 medals over four games, and spending a total of 11 years on the US Disabled Ski Team.

In addition to his work with the Paralympics and the International Paralympic Committee, Waddell has found success as a motivational speaker. Waddell speaks about the resilience of the human condition, with topics ranging from leadership to adversity, to quality of life.

Waddell has been featured in numerous publications, including Outside Magazine, Skiing, Ski, National Geographic Explorer, and People Magazine who named him one of “The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.” He has also appeared on Dateline and Oprah.

The Expedition: At 19,340 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. Waddell will attempt to be the first paraplegic to summit Kilimanjaro in September of 2009 with a team of experienced colleagues and a camera crew dedicated to documenting the historic climb.

Although Kilimanjaro is considered a “walkable” mountain, typical features such as logs and large rocks prove threatening obstacles for Waddell’s journey the summit.

The Gear: Waddell will be using a one-of-a-kind 4-wheel vehicle to climb Kilimanjaro. The special 4-wheel handcycle (named the Bomba) for paraplegics steers 2 ways, via traditional hand bars and through a special pedal that sits under the chest. All four wheels articulate as much as 13 inches, allowing the Bomba to roll over large objects.

The Motto: One Revolution

One revolution of the handcrank: how Chris will climb Kilimanjaro

One small revolution: how Chris hopes to change society’s perception of the disabled community

One revolution of the globe: how Chris sees steady, fundamental change

One revolution is as simple as it gets

Why: Waddell has dedicated his life to defying the conventional wisdom of what a paraplegic can and cannot do. Through his work with the Paralympics, Waddell has proven that being a “para” doesn’t mean living a disabled life. Waddell’s athletic abilities garnered international attention and have helped to change the way disabled individuals are viewed.

The decision to summit Kilimanjaro, a first for a paraplegic, is intended to “shine the light back on the disabled – to show that if you take the time to look, you might be surprised.” Waddell hopes that his climb will challenge people to think differently and see the world differently. “I hope my climb will make us see some of the 50+ million disabled people in the world in a whole new way,” says Waddell.

Websites & Blogs:
www.waddellclimbskili.com
www.one-revolution.com
www.chriswaddell.wordpress.com

@Stephanie Graham 2009

Stephanie Graham: Founder and Director of the Mt. Everest Mind Camp – Featured September 2009 Guest

Stephanie Graham

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. – John Quincy Adams

This month Stephanie Graham, founder and director of the Mt. Everest Mind Camp takes a much needed break from her busy schedule to answer a few questions from our readers.

Q: What gave you the idea for the Mt. Everest Mind Camp?

A: In the beginning the site was to be primarily focused on Nepal and a philanthropic project I had become involved with after my first trip to Mt. Everest in 2006. I wanted to combine my photography and my journey in the Himalayas with an upcoming fundraising event I was hosting for the Magic Yeti Children’s Library Project.

I had already registered the domain name, Mt. Everest Mind Camp, and had a pretty good idea of the elements I wanted within the content of the site. However it was not until I went through a comprehensive consultation with Kellie Day of Dayzign Graphics, that a much bigger vision came into play. Her questions and professional guidance made all the difference in the world.

She really showed me how to weave together my fascination with self development, my passion for adventure in the mountains, and my desire to help others achieve their goals to create a site that would reflect the personal elements from my own life experience.

One year after the site launched, I relied on Kellie once again last May to take the site to the next level with upgraded design features and a more streamlined foundation to meet a growing audience.

Q: How did you come up with the name of your site?

A: My oldest sister and I were throwing around names and none of them were feeling “right”. One day I was on the Stepmill (A.K.A. Machine from Hell). I was stepping and sweating away thinking about my vision for the site and out of the blue it popped into my head. I knew immediately it was the right name. I felt super excited, stopped the machine and grabbed a pen to write it down.

I have learned “feeling something is right”, is much better than choosing something that sounds right based on the opinion of other people.

I will certainly admit (the) Mt. Everest Mind Camp is a mouthful and I do get some raised eyebrows when I say the name. But thankfully most people respond with “that sounds really interesting. What is that?” When I explain the vision, they love it and become regular visitors and supporters.

Q: In your bio, it says you have traveled all over the world. Where have you been and where would you still like to go?

A: This is always a fun question to answer. So far I have visited 25 countries, many of them multiple times and for extended periods. It won’t be in alphabetical order, but here is my list so far.

Australia, Austria, Canada, Belgium, Columbia, Denmark, China, New Zealand (north island), Japan, Nepal, Taiwan, Italy, Hungary, Germany, France, England, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Thailand, South Africa, Mexico.

As for the second part of your question. I have plans to visit Iceland, Chile, and Greece. There are other places I am interested in, however these three are the top hot spots on my list for now.

I only have four states to go, before crossing all 50 US States off the list. Alaska, Rhode Island, Maine and Louisiana.

Q:  How do you choose the people you have as guests?

A: I choose people based on how I feel their contribution will enhance the lives of my readers. I am interested in covering three categories. Philanthropy, Self Development, and Mountaineering/Adventure. The guest must have significant life experience and a professional background in at least one of these categories.

Some guests are people I know and have either personal or professional experience with, like Jack Canfield, Peter Athans, Dr. Shanna Teel, and Jim Bunch. Other guests, I may have met them at an event, heard them give a talk or read their book if they are an author.

Guests are also suggested to me through people who visit the site. It’s great when someone sends me a name or a link to someone who might make for a good interview. It fun for me to do the research and learn about other people and their projects.

It is also crucial for me that I respect and admire the person I am interviewing. If they have a questionable reputation or their ego is out of control, I don’t even consider them as a guest.

I have learned personally the hard way, that just because someone has accomplished something noteworthy in the public eye, it does not necessarily mean they are a decent human being on the inside.

I also do my best to alternate between men and women. My interview this month is the first time I have deviated from this pattern.

©Stephanie Graham with Cholatse in the background, Nepal 2006

Q: Do you have a favorite guest?

A: Each guest is so unique and special it would be hard to choose.

I will say however that Jack Canfield has made the most lasting and profound impact on my life. He is a true master of transformational development. Of course you can read books and attend seminars and never really change your life if you don’t take action. And Jack makes it easy to choose a better way of life and keep choosing it!

I HIGHLY recommend his book The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.

Q: What keeps you motivated and energized?

A: One word: HOPE

I have a lot of hope for the next experience headed my way. Who I might meet, what opportunity might present itself through a phone call, event, or even just reading a magazine article. Even through the toughest times in life, I have been blessed with a deep curiosity and a faith that something exciting, fun or interesting will eventually come around.

I admit in my own development I have not always been grateful for that built in attitude. It keeps you going when sometimes you would rather just check out and pull the covers over your head! But it’s there for that very reason and I am glad it gets me out of bed!

I also have 8 cats. Yes EIGHT. They make me laugh every day no matter what is going on. I marvel at their flexibility, playfulness and love for one another. They are teaching me a great deal about healthy relationships!

Q: What are some goals you are currently focused on for yourself?

A: I have a list of 100 life goals, that I review each year. So I always have plenty to work with, but here is a current list I am actively working on.

• Becoming proficient in solo ocean sailing.
• Climb Mt. Rainier (planned for summer 2010)
• Design and build my own straw bale sustainable “off the grid” home.
• Earn my motorcycle license and purchase my own Harley Davidson
• Complete the P90X program and meet Tony Horton
• Retiring in Colorado while continuing to enjoy some of my favorite places like Australia, Nepal and Europe.

Q: Do you actually read the books you recommend and what are you currently reading?

A: Yes! I definitely read a book before I recommend it.

There are two books that I refer to on a daily basis. So much so the covers are starting to come off. The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill and Deep Survival by Lawrence Gonzales. Especially Deep Survival. The poor thing has dribbles of hot chocolate dotting the pages and smudgy fingerprints that were covered with goat cheese and juice from pickles while trying eat and read in bed at the same time. I really love this book!

Then there are two that I am reading for pure pleasure and disengagement from my day. The Outlander by Gil Adamson and Horses Like Lightning by Sienna Craig. Both authors write so beautifully, they make you happy you can read!

Q: When will you go back to Nepal?

A: I am headed back to Nepal in October 2010. This time my oldest sister is joining me! I am so thrilled she is going and looking forward to sharing the journey to Everest Base Camp with her. We will go with an organized group guided by Backwoods Adventures, the same company I first traveled to Nepal with in 2006. This will be my third trip to Nepal. I can’t wait!

©Stephanie Graham: Mt. Everest Base Camp: Backwoods Adventures 2006

I want to thank everyone for your questions! I know there were more than I addressed here today, so keep your eyes peeled. I promise I will get to all of them as the months unfold!

In the meantime stay motivated and keep working towards what you desire!

Cheers!

Stephanie

More about Stephanie Graham:

Stephanie graduated from the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in 1993. She has been a respected teacher in her field and her writing has appeared in “USA Today,” “Massage and Bodywork Magazine,” and “Sports Source,” among other publications.

For two years she traveled full time with the US National Road Cycling Team, before moving on to the Volvo Cannondale Professional Mountain Bike Racing Team, where she spent 6 years on the World Cup circuit as the teams therapist and assistant manager. Both teams afforded her the extraordinary experience of attending the Olympic Games in Atlanta 96′ and Sydney, AUS 00.’

Stephanie’s travels have taken her to over 25 countries on 6 continents and through 46 US States.

For the last seven years Stephanie has managed a successful private practice in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, while traveling for personal adventure as much as possible.

She considers international travel and learning about other cultures to be a significant link to a more vibrant, compassionate, and fulfilling life.

Some of Stephanie’s “past life” occupations include training Polo ponies for international competition and painting tennis courts on the island of Kauai.

In 2008 she launched the Mt. Everest Mind Camp web site to encourage others to reach for their goals and take action to create a better life for themselves.

Stephanie is currently pursuing certification as a Professional Organizer and Personal Life Coach. Two things she has been expressing naturally all of her life and she is excited to take it to the next level as a professional to further serve her community.

©Stephanie Graham

Connie L. Stambush: The Edge of India – Featured August 2009 Guest

©Connie L. Stambush

The Edge of India – One adventurous woman one Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle, and one ambitious route.

Q: When and how did you first come by the idea of riding a motorcycle around the coast of India?

A: Like all great adventures (including or rather, especially life) there were a series of events that took me from working in corporate America to the back of a motorcycle in India. The first event was when the company I worked for for fourteen years relocated from the Midwest to the East Coast and I was confronted with one of life’s forks in the road: follow the company and have a “safe” life, or follow my heart and take a risk on the unknown.

Something inside me said choosing the “safe” life didn’t mean that life would turn out as expected. Knowing that my preconceived expectations for my life probably wouldn’t be met, I decided to quit my job, sell my car, suits and furniture, and buy a one-way ticket to Germany. Once I was abroad, I traveled by foot, bus, train, and boat to get around.

The second event came while I was looking out the window of a bus I was a passenger on in Eastern Turkey. Gazing out the bus’ dusty pane, a vision of myself riding a motorcycle down a pretty little lane popped into my head. I’d been traveling abroad for over a year at that point, confined to public transportation, and had grown tired of it and the travel routes chosen by others for me. I wanted the independence and freedom having one’s own transportation offered. And, even though I’d never ridden a motorcycle before, nothing evoked the idea of freedom and independence for me more than a motorcycle. With that vision, the idea of motorcycling was seared into my mind but the reality of it still took time.

The third event occurred when I arrived in India and heard the thumping sound of the Royal Enfield Bullet’s engine. That sound sparked the dream I’d had two years earlier while on that bus in Turkey. When the dream for unfettered freedom and the sound of the growling engine collided, the idea of riding a Bullet solo the edge of India was born.

Q: How much time passed between having the idea, and actually revving up the engine and hitting the road?

A: It was almost three years from moment I had that daydream while on a bus in Turkey until it blossomed into a full-blown plan of riding a motorcycle solo. During that time I lived and worked in Prague before moving to New Delhi to freelance for the Houston Chronicle. After a year in India I was offered a position as an editor for a wire service. Living in New Delhi made me feel as if I understood India, but I knew this wasn’t true. India is too vast and complex to get to know from behind a desk. When my contract ended I decided it was time to put the dream that had been bubbling inside me into action and to discover the country I’d come to call home.

I learned to ride a motorcycle by taking an ABATE of Indiana/MSF motorcycle rider course in the States while home visiting my family. I then returned to India, bought a Royal Enfield Bullet, loosely plotted a route, and hit the road.

Q: What kind of response did you get from friends, family and even strangers once you voiced your plans?

A: I’d been living outside of the United States working and traveling for about four years by the time I committed myself to the journey, so that made it easier for friends and family to digest. But that aside, I was blessed with a mother and father who believed in my abilities, even though they were largely untested. My mom instilled in me the belief that I had to follow my dreams. She taught me that every one has a different life to live and it is up to each one of us to discover how we want to live it.

My dad told me when I was a teenager that I could “do anything, go anywhere, be anyone I chose.” The two together had a powerful affect on how I saw my self and learned to trust my self. It was cyclical: they believed in me causing me to believe in myself causing others to believe in me.

My friends supported me but they know I can be a little hard headed and determined; if they doubted my abilities they were kind enough to not voice their opinions.

Strangers sometimes tried to impart their fears (and envies) on me by telling me I should carry a gun because it was unsafe for a woman to travel in the world alone. Talk about “crazy” ideas! The mind is the most most powerful weapon a human can possess. I was learning to use mine, and I was learning a lot about people and myself.

©Connie L. Stambush

Q:  What was your biggest challenge during your preparation to leave New Delhi?

A: The most difficult part was forcing myself to start the journey because I was a little intimidated by the notion of months alone on a motorcycle I barely knew how to ride. Still, it was something I wanted to try so I busied myself learning the mechanics of motorcycle repair, studying Hindi, pouring over maps, and planning routes, all the while ignoring the one thing I couldn’t prepare for which was how I’d react once I was out of my comfort zone. That is where the real test of character comes into play. Deep down I knew this and it scared me. It’s okay to be a little afraid of the unknown. In fact, the real problems occur when we think we have it all figured out.

©Connie L. Stambush

Q: What was the most important thing you learned about yourself…and India, during your 5 month journey?

A: Great follow-up question. I learned that I’m full of surprises and that I didn’t know myself as well as I thought I did. India was an amazing place for learning things about myself that were not always pretty. In it, my environment became a kaleidoscope of changing landscapes, emotions, and beliefs. It seemed like every moment involved an encounter or situation that revealed a part of me I’d not yet discovered. While some of these discoveries were unpleasant, they cast a glaring light on my character that allowed me to see myself as a whole. It was a good thing because it allowed me to understand that I’m a flawed person but once the flaws are exposed changes can be made.

The Buddhist have a saying, “Don’t believe every thing you think.” It’s the one true thing that can be counted on in life. That what we think about ourselves and others may be wrong.

Q: Was there ever a moment during your trip when you thought “this is crazy…what I am doing” and had the urge to stop and turn around? If YES..how did you overcome it and keep going?

A: No. I never had that feeling once I got out of New Delhi and on the road. I’m not a person who easily commits to things, but once I do there is no turning back. It just took me a few extra days to get going, and that’s okay. However, I don’t think this is true for everyone and it may not always be true for me. If I were to ever have the feeling that I needed to stop doing something then I would, and I wouldn’t feel guilty about quitting. No one should. It’s important to honor your feelings and to know that feelings change. People change, and that can be a good thing.

Q: How has the experience of this incredible adventure changed the way you set other goals and live your life on a daily basis?

A: It made me appreciate every day more, and to live in the moment. I’m also braver and more of a risk taker. As a kid I was very shy and fearful of taking charge. Now I know, down to my core, that I have to take charge of my life. I do a pretty good job but I’m not mistake free. I’m not afraid of making mistakes, however, because I know that they are my biggest learning lessons.

©Connie L. Stambush

Q: I know you have a fantastic blog detailing your trip and I hear there is a book in the works! Any idea on when the we might see it in the bookstores?

A: I’m in the early stages of searching for an agent now who will be a passionate advocate for the book and a supporter of me and my work. The book is 80% written and a proposal is completed. All I need now is an agent who will love it and can sell it to an editor/publisher who will love it. I know times are tough in the publishing arena and I’m told that travel/adventure/memoirs are hard to sell in today’s climate, that people aren’t venturing out like they used to because of the economy.

But reading a book has always allowed me to explore places and invest in a fantasy without the hard work of personally living it. Isn’t that that same for others too?

Q: Where are you living now and what new adventures are you focused on?

A: I was living in Maine last winter writing the book, and this summer I’ve been teaching motorcycle safety classes (I’ve been a national MSF and ABATE of Indiana instructor for nine years). In the back of my mind I’ve been dreaming of Russia but I don’t have a fix on what I might do. It’s a process. My most immediate adventure will hopefully be in publishing, but I think that might be tougher than riding a motorcycle solo around India!

Q: What advice and words of wisdom do you have for those who have a vision or a dream, yet are feeling a little intimidated in getting started?

A: Ask yourself this, “At the end of my life will I regret not taking this chance?” If the answer is “Yes” you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Listen to your gut. It’s a great indicator of what is right for you. If you have a desire to do something “unconventional” and you believe it’s possible then take the risk and do it. Life is full of risks, you owe it to yourself to be the one choosing the risk. Try not to let them fall on you happenstance.

Also, surround yourself with people who believe in you. We all have enough self-doubt within us, we don’t need naysayers in our lives to tell us we “can’t” do something. After my father told me I could “go, do, be” anything I wanted, I came across the below poem in the newspaper that I clipped and have carried with me in my wallet for years.

CAN DO

Did is a word of achievement.

Won’t is a word of retreat.

Might is a word of bereavement.

Can’t is a word of defeat.

Ought is a word of duty.

Try is a word of each hour.

Will is a word of beauty.

Can is a word of power.

-Anonymous

© Connie L. Stambush

ABOUT CONNIE:

C.L. Stambush is a writer, journalist, and blogger who has lived, worked and traveled in 22 countries across Europe and Asia since leaving her life of fourteen years in corporate America. She has traveled by all modes of transportation, and in 1997 she became the first woman to ride a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle solo around the coast of India, a journey lasting 4,500 plus miles and five months. Some of this motorcycle journey appears on her blog. www.edgeofindia.blogspot.com

Her work has appeared in over sixty publications including the Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, Far Eastern Economic Review, and Travelers’ Tales. Her nonfiction writing has earned awards and scholarships from Hedgebrook Writers Colony, RopeWalk Writers Retreat, Split Rock Arts Program, and been judged Best Creative Nonfiction at Indiana University Writers Conference by Scott Russell Sanders. She has a B.A. in journalism from Indian University Bloomington, and a Masters in Fine Arts Creative Nonfiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College.

Connie is also a national motorcycle safety instructor of nine years for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and ABATE of Indiana, and has trained more than 350 people to ride motorcycles. It’s one of her greatest joys in life.

She is currently searching for an agent to represent her book describing her solo journey through the heart of India on a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle. It will be her first book.

Jack Canfield: America’s #1 Success Coach – Featured July 2009 Guest

©Jack Canfield

When Success is Slow, What Can You Do? by Jack Canfield

Pop Quiz: Can success be sped up? Is there an antidote to slow outcomes despite arduous planning and actions taken? What’s the secret for seeing huge results right now?!

I get versions of these questions frequently from people who feel frustrated at sluggish progress in their success journey – despite all the know-how and principles they rigorously employ.

Let’s get one thing straight…

When we admire someone’s success, or even our own, we often focus on the end result and not so much on the effort (and time) that it took to get there. This can cultivate unrealistic expectations, especially the idea that overnight success can happen through careful strategy and an execution of sound advice.

The truth be told, success typically follows a series of little events and achievements that can seem to take an eternity, that include a few disappointments along the way, and that challenge everything about you to the core – your stamina, courage, integrity, and even your willingness to keep going.

If you focus on what’s not working, guess what: You’re likely coming from a place of aggravation as your mind wraps around all that is wrong.

You may even have negative thoughts like “I’m not good enough,” “It will never work,” or “Something must be wrong with me.”

What this mentally does is engender more of these counter-productive feelings. And given what we know about the Law of Attraction, you attract what you are feeling. So negative experiences, people, and results will beget more negative experience, people, and results. There’s not much success in that.

The key, then, is to focus on what IS working. To do so, I recommend two simple practices: journaling and meditation.

Maintaining a journal (I call it an Evidence Log, Results Journal, or Gratitude Journal) is a great way to steer your attention to the positive and continually renew your vision for yourself.

Start each day with reflections on what you are grateful for in your life (list them out!) and end each day with notes on what went right (again, write them down), however small they may seem.

Spend time each day in quiet contemplation, prayer or meditation.

Meditation can be powerful tool for arriving at solutions to problems and shifting your attitude so you can attract success sooner rather than later. The magic of meditation is its ability to essentially shut down the outer layer of your judgmental, highly-critical brain and allow your unconscious mind to take over. This is where you enter a deeper state of inner peace and joy, tapping into a higher level of creativity that will help usher in the results you want. (Don’t know how to meditate? Lots of books and materials are available to guide you this practice. It’s easier than you think. )

Let’s say you’re doing ALL these things, but you still aren’t happy with your results…

I’ll ask you then, are you taking real ACTION?

You may be taking the actions you are used to taking. But if you keep doing what you’ve already done, then you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. It’s a matter of practicing some new behaviors. Shake things up a bit and see if you can take new actions or modify existing ones.

Remember the Rule of 5.

Every day do five specific things that take you toward your goal. Change up the five actions regularly and be open to feedback so you know when you’re off course.

Lastly, I want to remind you about patience.

It’s natural to underestimate how long a certain goal can take, especially a profound one. When I set a goal to become a millionaire the year was 1983. How long did it take? Eleven years. It took time for Chicken Soup for the Soul to hit the bestseller lists. You could say our tenure on the New York Times list was more than a decade in the making. That’s a lot of patience for someone who initially wanted overnight success.

So, yes, patience is a virtue. But keep at it, and in no time, you’ll be only one week, or one day away from your ultimate success.

Remember… be grateful, reflect on what IS working and continue to take ACTION!

© 2009 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com