The great lesson about success I learned on the summit of Mount Everest

All my childhood I dreamed of climbing Mount Everest and maybe, with a bit of luck, one day setting foot on the roof of the world. Summits and finish lines are full of symbolism and meaning in our society. By achieving this, we prove to others and to ourselves that, with a lot of effort, we are capable of great things. Capable of success.

I was 28 when I reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world, after almost two months of climbing and nearly ten years of training. Overflowing with emotion and pride, I spent five minutes there. Five minutes…

The great lesson lies precisely in those 300 seconds. The lesson applies in business, in our careers, in our personal lives:

“Success is only a point in time, it never lasts long. Success should never be the goal, but rather the consequence of our actions.”

I’m convinced that few corporate speakers will recommend that you forget your goals! But ironically, to succeed, we sometimes have to forget the destination. Instead, focus on creating, adopting and maintaining growth habits. Simple, everyday, passionate habits that are aligned with the goals, objectives and missions of our organizations. With a little patience and a lot of hard work, the rest will follow.

I travel around Quebec with my conferences and am frequently asked questions about leadership, peak performance and corporate change. The answer to these questions is often quite simple: establish a clear objective and a precise execution plan. Then forget about the destination and focus your energies on creating habits for growth. In other words, do today well and tomorrow will come much faster and much easier!

Watch an excerpt from my Inc.spiration conference here!