If You Want to Climb Everest

A few years ago, when I decided to take on a major challenge, almost everyone around me tried to talk me out of it.

“There’s no way you can do that.”
“You’ll fail, so don’t even try.”
“Why take an unnecessary risk?”

They pushed back so much that I started to lose confidence. In the end, I found myself venting to a mentor I greatly respected.

“Lately, so many people have been against this thatI’m starting to feel like I can’t do it.Maybe I should just give up on the challenge.”

This was the advice I got:

“Listen, and remember this. If you want to climb Everest,talk to someone who’s already climbed Everest. If you ask someone who’s never been there, they’ll just tell you it’s impossible. But someone who’s made the climb will give you advice like, ‘If you’re serious about going, you’ll need this gear! I can put you in touch with someone who can help!’
If there’s something you want to take on, it’s important to talk to someone who’s already done it. In other words, put yourself among people who’ve been there.“

…That makes so much sense!!!

It was a real eye-opener. Ever since, I’ve tried to keep that lesson in mind, whatever I’m setting out to do.

“You Can Buy a Panamera in No Time”

A few years have passed, and buying a Panamera is now one of my life goals. I think the same lesson applies here, too. If you want a Panamera,one of the fastest ways to make it happen is to spend time around people who’ve actually bought the kind of luxury or dream car you aspire to own.

Once, I told a senior colleague that I wanted a Panamera. He replied, “A Panamera? You could buy one in no time!” I pushed back: “No way—I can’t just buy one that quickly!!” And then he said:

“That’s exactly what’s wrong with your thinking! If you believe you can’t afford one, you’ll never buy one. Believe you can, and you can!”

He gave me a telling-off.

At the time, I thought, “What am I supposed to do with that—it’s just empty talk, or some kind of emotional pep talk…” But looking back, being around people like him has started to make the idea of buying a Panamera feel possible. In a good way, my sense of what’s within reach is getting recalibrated—and I think that’s a good sign (laughs).

Of course, simply putting yourself in that environment isn’t enough. The most important thing is to put in the effort yourself.

All right! Time to get back to it today!