If you ever get a chance, take some time and read about Tenzing Norgay. His name is probably not immediately familiar to you unless you are a serious climbing enthusiast or a student of Mount Everest. Norgay, a Nepali Sherpa mountaineer, was one of the first two known individuals to reach the summit of that great mountain, the highest place on earth, on May 29, 1953. The man with him was Edmund Hillary of New Zealand.[1][2]
Climbing expeditions in the Himalayas included Sherpa mountaineers as a rule. They knew the terrain better than anyone else and they could weather high altitudes with great stamina. Though many people confuse the word Sherpa to mean any mountain guide in the Himalayan region, it actually refers to an ethnic people group to which Norgay belonged.[3]
The point is that Norgay, perhaps as much as anyone in the world, was born to climb Everest. With all the planning, funding, and manpower behind the 1953 expedition that included those two record-breaking climbers, Norgay, the native guide, was an indispensable part of the success.
Why not consider making your role like that of Norgay? Way too often we become so self-focused and consumed by our personal goals that we miss the amazing rewards associated with working together toward a common goal. When the time comes for your spouse, colleague, friend, boss, mentor, student, or child to climb their next mountain, perhaps it is your role to be there and guide them along the way.
And here is the amazing beauty of it all. Once you begin giving yourself away, you will find that your own productivity increases and that you more easily achieve your own dreams. It might not seem like it makes sense, but just try it and watch what happens. And then there is the really fun part. You get to be there at the top of the mountain celebrating with the other person. Let me tell you, it is so worth the climb!
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[1] "1953: First Footsteps - Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay," Excerpted From "50 Years on Everest," by Contributing Editor David Roberts, National Geographic Adventure, April 2003, National Geographic, accessed on 3/27/2014, http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/everest/sir-edmund-hillary-tenzing-norgay-1953/#page=2.
[2] "Profile of Tenzing Norgay," Scholastic, accessed on 3/27/2014, http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hillary/archive/norgay.htm.
[3] "Sherpa," Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed on 3/27/2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540142/Sherpa.
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