Episode 153 Climb Every Mountain: the quest to do hard things – Interview David Roskelly

Sitting atop the world at 29,029 feet elevation is not something everyone has on their bucket list, but David Roskelley had a whole lot more than just that day in 2013 on top of Everest. He also summited the other 8 highest peaks on the 7 continents. Math not adding up….I’ll let him explain that one to you, but suffice it to say, this incredible athlete and regular everyday guy, loves to do hard things and is here today to share why we can do hard things too. Join me for my discussion with David Roskelley the first American to climb the nine highest peaks on seven continents and the world’s tallest volcanoes on each of the 7 continents. I’m loving his story.

David Roskelley is a partner in an environmental engineering firm called R&R Environmental, Inc., and teaches public health at the University of Utah’s Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health as an adjunct professor. The Utah resident is clearly an avid mountaineer who has his next goals set on the moon – literally. And that’s a whole other story.

Tune into the audio program to hear about David’s adventures.

David said,

“Many people ask why I chose to set the “Seven Summits” as a goal.  The answers are not exactly simple and I’m not 100% certain myself.  However, I love to do difficult things and would encourage anyone reading this post to set a difficult goal and work toward it.  Otherwise, we tend to float through life rudderless (“take control and set a goal” I say).  Recently, I’ve been reading a book by Edward Whymper, Scrambles in the Alps (1871) where he discusses “patient, difficult, laborious toil” in the mountains and how it helps us “come back to our daily occupations better fitted to fight the battle of life and overcome impediments which obstruct our paths, strengthen and cheered by the recollection of past labors”.  For me, it’s easier to contend with traffic, email, commuting, phone calls, constant work obligations, etc. after completing something very difficult.  I just focus on the accomplishment and everything else pales in comparison.

Don’t think everyone’s “difficult” is the same and don’t feel you have to climb big mountains or run marathons to accomplish something.  Everyone’s challenges are different and for some it would be easier to walk across Asia than to speak in public or get married or finish their education.”

What hard thing are you working on in your life? As we discussed in the beginning of this podcast – everyone’s difficult is something different. I’d like to remind you that the difficult you are in today is giving you the strength that you will need to be who you are supposed to be. As the ever-popular phrase goes, “You can do hard things.” We say this because sometimes we need the reminder that we are powerful, courageous and so far our track record for making it through hard things is 100%, and that’s a pretty darn good rate of success.

Your challenge this week is to consider if you need to set a goal – something big and wonderful that feels hard and scary. If you do – take a deep breath, embrace the vision of it happening, and then write that puppy down. Because YOU can do hard things.

Thanks for being with us today. Remember loveyourstorypodcast.com for access to all past episodes, to buy your t-shirt, and the link to buy my new, fun book: LIFE Living Intentional and Fearless Everyday. Join the fun trend of embarking on these life enhancing daily challenges – there are 21 of them in the book. You can also find it on Amazon!

If you’re part of the crowd that has jumped on the 21 Life Connection Challenges in my book – I’d love to hear about your experiences. Drop me a line on the website or on FB.