"No one else is the authority on your potential"
This is the first in a series of DREAMQUEST interviews. They exist to encourage you to follow your own dreams. What follows is a look into the dream of BEN SAUNDERS.
Ben Saunders is the youngest person to ski solo to the geographic North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton. He's currently preparing for SOUTH, the first return journey to the South Pole on foot. This 1,800-mile expedition will be the longest unsupported polar journey in history.
All photos copyright Ben Saunders and used with permission.
(Click on each number above to get to the next set of photos.)
What event(s) prompted you to say (in your TED Talk) "No one else is the authority on your potential"?
Ben Saunders is the youngest person to ski solo to the geographic North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton. He's currently preparing for SOUTH, the first return journey to the South Pole on foot. This 1,800-mile expedition will be the longest unsupported polar journey in history.
All photos copyright Ben Saunders and used with permission.
(Click on each number above to get to the next set of photos.)
What event(s) prompted you to say (in your TED Talk) "No one else is the authority on your potential"?
That sentiment comes from a whole range of experiences. At school I was constantly told that I was lazy, I was a daydreamer, that I didn't work hard enough and that I'd never go on to achieve anything in life. Years later, trying to raise the corporate funding for my first few expeditions, I was told by many people (often experts in their fields) that what I was trying to do was "impossible". One of the biggest things I've learnt is that we all have huge innate potential. I've amazed myself by achieving what I have, yet I'm also amazed that I don't think I've yet come anywhere close to my limits. The more I do, the more I realise I'm capable of doing. If I'd listened to those who said I couldn't do it, I've never even have taken the first steps on this journey.
You're exploring your own personal human limits. What has been the hardest thing you've done so far?
Without doubt my 2004 solo North Pole expedition - I was alone for 72 days in what is arguably the most hostile environment on earth. The hardest part was being dropped by helicopter on day one, then waving goodbye as it took off again. I've never been so scared.
What drives you to try to do what no one else has ever succeeded at doing?
I've always looked up to individuals that have pushed back the boundaries of their particular field or niche, and that was always a place I wanted to be myself: at the forefront, living life at the edge of the envelope. There's a thrill in doing or creating something new, and I thrive on that. I hope also that my expeditions will inspire others, particularly young people, to follow their own dreams, and to be a bit more daring and passionate with their lives.
Who most inspires you personally and why?
Many people. Lance Armstrong, for not only dominating the Tour de France for so long, but also for starting his foundation - he achieved massive things simultaneously, and his focus and determination is inspiring. John Ridgway (the first person to row across the Atlantic, in 1966) was a great mentor - I worked for John when I was 19 and he encouraged me to think completely differently about my own potential and my own horizons. The Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen (1861 - 1930) is perhaps my biggest hero. Not only was he the forefather of modern-day polar exploration, but he was the ultimate renaissance man - he was an explorer, an athlete (a talented skier), a pioneering neurologist, an oceanographer, a diplomat, and he went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize!
If you could offer one piece of advice, what would that be?
Follow your heart. Do what you're passionate about; do it to the best of your ability, and everything else will fall into place.
And there are only 650,000 hours in the average lifetime, so do it now!
And there are only 650,000 hours in the average lifetime, so do it now!
Ben, thanks so much for your time & GOOD LUCK with your expedition!
To learn more about Ben, see www.bensaunders.com or view his TED Talk here.
To read more DreamQuest interviews, visit brithammer.com and do a site search on "dreamquest".
Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 at 08:11
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Brit Hammer
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