Everest: from hitting rock bottom to rising to the top of the world | Thaís Pegoraro | TEDxSaoPaulo

Summary

This motivational story follows the speaker's journey from personal and professional failure to achieving the dream of climbing the Seven Summits. After losing her job and engagement, she used the setback to build a coaching business and pursue mountaineering. Along the way, she faced challenges, including physical obstacles and fears, but her resilience and discipline led to success. The story highlights key lessons on goal setting, the importance of planning, teamwork, and embracing failure as a teacher. Ultimately, the speaker embraces love as the greatest teacher in her life, marking a new chapter in her personal journey.

Takeaways

• 😀 Embrace failure as a powerful teacher that helps us grow and learn valuable lessons.
• 😀 Personal crises, such as job loss or broken relationships, can be pivotal moments for redefining your life path.
• 😀 Turning a childhood dream into a grown-up goal requires dedication, commitment, and strategic planning.
• 😀 Starting with smaller, manageable steps and gradually building towards larger goals is key to achieving big dreams.
• 😀 Physical and mental preparation are essential for achieving any major goal, whether in business or personal challenges.
• 😀 Big dreams should be broken down into achievable milestones to prevent burnout and stay focused.
• 😀 Teamwork and collaboration are vital for success, especially when pursuing large and complex goals.
• 😀 Planning and strategy are crucial when facing tough challenges, particularly in extreme environments.
• 😀 The journey to achieving a dream can involve unexpected lessons about diversity, flexibility, and the unknown.
• 😀 Failure can provide deeper insights and lessons than success, teaching us what needs to be improved for the future.
• 😀 True fulfillment comes not from achievements alone, but from love, connection, and the support of others, especially in new, meaningful life chapters.

Q & A

What was the initial turning point in Mariana Yonamine's life?

The initial turning point in Mariana Yonamine's life came in January 2014 when she was fired from her job at a multinational company and experienced the end of her engagement. This moment of personal crisis led her to rethink her life and choose a new path of self-discovery and personal development.

How did Mariana decide to cope with the challenges she faced after losing her job and engagement?

Instead of succumbing to the pain, Mariana decided to enroll in a coaching course and focus on building her own company, working in human development, career, and business coaching. This decision marked a shift from reacting to the crisis to actively seeking growth and new opportunities.

What childhood dream did Mariana revisit, and how did it evolve?

Mariana revisited her childhood dream of climbing Mount Everest, which evolved into a more ambitious goal of completing the Seven Summits project. This project involved climbing the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, turning a childhood dream into an adult challenge.

What were the two major realizations Mariana had during her rock climbing training?

During her rock climbing training, Mariana realized two key things: first, that rock climbing is different from ice climbing, and second, that she had a fear of heights, which motivated her to seek further training in ice climbing.

What was the outcome of Mariana's first major mountain climb, Aconcagua?

During her climb of Aconcagua, Mariana faced a tough situation when, just 312 meters from the summit, she fell in a dangerous area and had to make the difficult decision to descend. She considered whether her preparation and decisions were sufficient, ultimately leading to a moment of personal reflection and reevaluation.

What significant changes did Mariana make in her training after her Aconcagua experience?

After her Aconcagua experience, Mariana drastically changed her training regimen. She increased her physical conditioning, worked out more frequently, adjusted her diet to consume 4,000 calories a day, and focused on rest, sleeping eight to nine hours a night.

What is the importance of breaking down big dreams, according to Mariana?

Mariana learned that big dreams can only be achieved when broken down into smaller, manageable parts. This lesson was highlighted during her expeditions in Africa, where she initially tried to combine two expeditions into one, only to realize that it drained her energy and prevented her from fully appreciating the experiences.

What lesson did Mariana learn about the role of planning and strategy in accomplishing difficult tasks?

Through her experience at the Vinson Massif in Antarctica, Mariana learned that without planning and strategy, achieving difficult tasks is nearly impossible. This lesson was reinforced by the extreme conditions she faced, where her gear and clothes froze, and she had to rely on strategic preparation to cope with the environment.

How did Mariana’s experience on Mount Everest emphasize the importance of teamwork?

Mariana's climb of Mount Everest taught her that accomplishing something great requires group effort. She realized that the success of reaching the summit depended on the collective preparation, support, and care of the entire team, demonstrating that teamwork is essential in achieving monumental goals.

What was the most profound lesson Mariana learned from her mountaineering journey?

The most profound lesson Mariana learned was that failure often teaches more than success. This realization came when she finally reached the summit of Aconcagua in January 2016, after having previously failed to do so. She acknowledged that her failures had shaped her into a stronger, more capable person.

How did Mariana’s journey come full circle by the end of her speech?

By the end of her speech, Mariana’s journey came full circle with the realization that love was the most important teacher she could have. She shared that she and her guide were expecting a baby, signaling a new chapter in her life focused on love, family, and the lessons that love would teach her in the future.