Today’s wise words come from New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist Edmund Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008.
“You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.”
— Edmund Hillary
On 29 May 1953, Sir Edmund Percival “Ed” Hillary KG ONZ KBE and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Here’s another five interesting facts about Edmund Hillary:
- He made his first major climb in 1939, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier..
- He became interested in mountaineering while in secondary school.
- TIME magazine named Hillary one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
- He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator during World War II.
- As part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition he reached the South Pole overland in 1958. Subsequently he reached the North Pole, making him the first person to reach both poles and summit Everest.
Following his ascent of Everest, Hillary devoted most of his life to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he founded. Through his efforts, many schools and hospitals were built in Nepal.
Sir Edmund Hillary’s quote is a great reminder that you don’t have to be extraordinary, you just need to be sufficiently motivated to achieve your goals. What ordinary action step will you take today to achieve one of your goals?
With warm regards
Lisa
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