Scott Barker’s Post

I just spent 16 days trekking to Everest Base Camp. I had a lot of time to think, here are 16 reflections from my journal (1/2): 1. We have success backwards in the West. I’ve met many successful people on my travels in this part of the world, none of them worried about accumulating ‘things’, once they had food, shelter and companionship - they gave the rest away to help others. The giving back is what made them ‘successful’ in the eyes of others. 2. A beginners mind. Whether it’s building a company, hitting your number, raising funds, your self development journey or climbing a mountain, the mantra “just getting started” still proves to be great way to approach life. 3. Avoid cliffs. You will make many mistakes in your life, that’s ok. But the mountains show you there are certain mistakes that cannot be undone (wrong step on a cliff, getting your gear wet, etc). Reflect on your ‘life or business cliffs’ and avoid them at all costs. 4. We are not solitary creatures. Originally I imagined that most of my adventure of ‘finding peace’ would be spent alone. Time to reflect or meditate alone is important but experiences are meant to be shared. Incredibly grateful for my two childhood friends and girlfriend joining me on this leg. It would have felt hallow without them. 5. When pushing your body to the extreme you really learn that food is fuel. What you decide to put into your body will directly impact your mind/body for the next 12hrs. When we’re moving fast, it can be easy to choose convenience but we do pay the price whether we consciously notice or not. 6. Burnout seems to be a western or affluent affliction. It’s undoubtedly very real. I experienced it, I’ve spoken to hundreds of people actively experiencing it. But there are guides/porters here that are working potentially the most gruelling job on planet earth for 20 years and when asked they’ll say ‘I love to work, I get to help my family’. They don’t have the luxury of thinking about themselves. 7. Love and support can bend fate. At 5400m elevation one of my friends got quite sick and we thought we’d have to head back. Our incredible guide, Sukra, advised us to check up on him every two hours throughout the night. He said “we need to make sure he’s ok but more importantly he needs to feel that’s he’s not alone and he has love/support around him - that’s how he’ll get better.” The next day he felt good enough to continue and expressed a ton of gratitude for everyone checking in on him. 8. You can only control your breathe and your mind. You’ll hit a point where the altitude and terrain become the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve trained, how many times you’ve done treks like this, how old you are - it will come done to you vs you. Like life, the control you have over your next breath and the control you have over your mind are the only things that will keep you going. To be continued… 🏔️