This is a post from my My 20-day Zappos + Buffer Values Challenge
Be Passionate and Determined?
I can think of three things that embody this:
- Scouting access for an unclimbed Mountain in Kyrgzystan:
- Undocumented location, undocumented transport logistics, undocumented passport logistics, undocumented human logistics (who? language? make friends with them?)
- With only 10 days to work out the details, there were some minor hiccups
- But once it figured out the details, turning around would have been silly
- I actually lost all my [soviet] maps on the second day in the mountains, rather than just retreating, I just planned to return the way I’d come and drew my own topo-map in my notebook.
- Not bothering to get a degree in Tech, and wading straight in
- At GCSE and 6th form, most people thought I should go to university
- However, due to getting involved in local tech scene in Manchester, I learnt about what opportunities were available.
- Luck was on my side, I walked into a graduate job fair and got a part time job as a Sysadmin
- I guess there are other stories…
- Taking a group of young people (at the time, my friends) to a big sporting race for them ~100mles away
- Persuading a local caravan company to sponsor us a caravan for the weekend
- Team ranked near bottom – ah well, it’s all about trying.
- Attempting to repeat the above story, but because of poor communication on my part resulting in $drama, only half the team and none of the kit arrived
- We found another half-formed team, beg borrowed kit
- Placed respectably (and higher than we’d ever previously ranked!)
- (Lesson about communication!)
- Finding there was no peer group for young people who liked technology and creating one
- Many mountaineering trips that haven’t gone to plan.
- Taking a group of young people (at the time, my friends) to a big sporting race for them ~100mles away
I guess it all boils down to:
- Caring about things
- Not taking “no” or small setbacks as a reason to give up!
Both are things I’m pretty comfortable with.