Every Obstacle Is An Adventure

photo credit: Individuo

When I find myself encountering difficulties, I often use the image of Sir Ernest Shackleton as a source of
inspiration, and I encourage my clients to do the same.

Sir Ernest Shackleton led one of the first Antarctic expeditions. Almost everything that could possibly have gone wrong on his expedition went wrong. His ship got stuck in ice during the Antarctic winter and was smashed into pieces. Nevertheless, Shackleton viewed each obstacle as an adventure and as an opportunity for growth that called for the utilization of his and his men’s creative potential and inner resourcefulness. He turned each obstacle into a game: To stagnate was to fail; to grow was to win. Shackleton took the pieces from his broken ship and built a small, rowboat-sized boat. He sailed that little boat 600 miles to the nearest whaling island. When he was within eyeshot of that island, a storm arose, and this weather kept him at bay for three days in stormy waters. Once he finally arrived at the island, he needed to hike through 26 miles of mountainous terrain to reach the whaling encampment.

Every man in Shackleton’s expedition survived. When my clients (or I myself) encounter hardship, I will sometimes ask, “How would Shackleton handle this situation?” Sometimes, I will ask clients to shut their
eyes and envision themselves on Shackleton’s ship, as a members of his expedition. I ask each of them,
“As a member of Shackleton’s team, what’s your next adventurous step?”