CONQUERING YOURSELF Part 1
“IT’S NOT THE MOUNTAIN WE CONQUER, BUT OURSELVES”
~ EDMUND HILLARY
If you don’t know who Edmund Hillary is, prepare for an epic story. Even if you do, inspiring tales never get old.
In 1953, a quiet, quintessential New Zealander in his thirties dared to set the highest (literally) goal of his life. Sitting at 29,032 feet, Mount Everest presents a daunting yet tantalizing challenge to the world’s greatest mountaineers. The mountain claims the label “the roof of the world” due to being the planet’s highest peak.
Despite more than eight failed official British expeditions in the early 1900s, Hillary partook in the 1953 expedition to summit Everest that would change his life. On May 29 at 11:30am, Sherpa climber Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first to officially summit Mount Everest and live to tell the tale.
In the time after summiting Everest, Hillary led other expeditions, including to Antarctica, to India, and back to the Himalayas where he spent time studying the effects of high altitude on the human body. As PTs and PTAs, we certainly appreciate his efforts.
Though the title “legendary mountaineer” followed his historical ascent, many records highlight his high level of humility. His main interest became the care, safety, and support of the Himalayan people, especially the Sherpas. He founded the Himalayan Trust in 1960 to build schools and hospitals, bring education, and establish healthcare and safe water for the people.
Edmund Hillary’s story might be famed around the world, but your story matters just as much in your world. This excerpt of his story highlights his success, but his personal story was not without significant failure.
He didn’t give in though.
He continued to pursue his climbing passion and to pursue goodness in the world. That is also your NPTE® story. The valley is always hard to trudge through, but your struggle is ultimately worth it when you stand in the clinic and hear the gratefulness of your patient that you served and treated - all because you persevered through your own difficulties and even failures.
“IT’S NOT THE MOUNTAIN WE CONQUER, BUT OURSELVES”
~ EDMUND HILLARY
So, what does it mean to conquer ourselves?
REFERENCES:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (n.d.). Edmund Hillary. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edmund-Hillary.
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, April 7). Mount Everest. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:18, April 7, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mount_Everest&oldid=1016441904.
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, April 7). Mount Everest. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:18, April 7, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest#First_successful_ascent_by_Tenzing_and_Hillary,_1953.
Ministry for Culture and Heritage. (2012, December 20). From Everest to the South Pole. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/edmund-hillary/everest-to-south-pole.
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