The British knighted Sir Edmund Hillary for going where no one had gone before. Hillary was the New Zealand mountain climber who, along with Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, became the first to climb the highest mountain on earth, Mount Everest, in 1953.

Until Hillary came along, the summit of Everest was considered insurmountable, and not just because, at 29,028 feet, it was at the same altitude most people associate with the announcement, "We have reached our cruising height; you are now free to walk around the cabin and lower your seatbacks and tray tables."

For climbers, a lack of oxygen wasn't Everest's biggest problem. That paled to a nasty stretch of ice and rock just below the summit that served as a kind of Everest Roadblock. The ice and rock sits at the top of a thin, forbidding mountain spine that, on a clear day, affords (so they say) fantastic views of Nepal and China. One is five miles to the left, the other five miles to the right. Straight down.

This spiny stretch of ice and rock frightened, and stumped, mountaineers for decades. They didn't know what to do with this "rock step," as Hillary called it in his book Adventure's End. Accomplished climbers would get this far and then, stumped, they'd stop, their goal just around the corner, but still out of reach.

Then along came Hillary. As he recounts in his book:

"We were fast approaching the most formidable obstacle on the ridge-a great rock step. This step had always been visible in aerial photographs, and . . . we had always thought of it as the obstacle on the ridge which could well spell defeat. I looked anxiously up at the rocks. Planted squarely across the ridge in a vertical bluff, they looked extremely difficult, and I knew that our strength and ability to climb steep rock at this altitude would be severely limited . . . Search as I could, I was unable to see an easy route up to the step or, in fact, any route at all. Finally, in desperation I examined the right-hand end of the bluff. Attached to this and overhanging the precipitous East face was a large cornice. This cornice . . . had started to lose its grip on the rock and a long narrow vertical crack had been formed between the rock and the ice. The crack was large enough to take the human frame, and though it offered little security, it was at least a route. I quickly made up my mind-it was worth a try."

And so Hillary went where no man had gone before. He gave something new a try, and once he'd used that "crack" to maneuver himself beyond the great rock step, the top of the world stretched out in front of him as if with open arms.

That portion of the final assault up Everest has been known as the Hillary Step ever since. It serves as a kind of litmus test to gain entrance to the earth's throne. One last awkward, challenging climb to make sure you've paid for the view. It's not easy. Getting to the top of the world-in anything-rarely is. But it is possible. That was Sir Edmund Hillary's gift to the world. He showed it could be done. In the half-century since he maneuvered his way through that rock step, more than seven hundred people have conquered Mount Everest.

Of course, just knowing that something is reachable in no way guarantees its accomplishment. For proof of that, ask the more than five thousand climbers who have tried and come up short on Everest even after Hillary established his Step; or witness the well publicized tragedies of those who came ill-prepared.

The positive experiences of others not only shows us what's possible, but by looking at their performances we can also understand what's necessary to get where they went. Whether we want to pay the price they paid is our own decision. But at the very least we have evidence of what has been done, and more importantly, what can be done.

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Peter Vidmar, Olympic Gymnastics Champion, is a speaker on personal achievement, risk taking, and innovation. He is also the author of Risk, Originality, and Virtuosity: The Keys to a Perfect 10.

 

It was the early 1950's. The country was still recovering from the second World War, and John Vidmar felt he was a fortunate man. He had a good job and was rising through the ranks as a sales rep with a large pump company in Los Angeles. He had two college degrees, a wonderful wife and a young, growing family.

But then one day, my dad stopped for lunch between appointments. He noticed he was having trouble swallowing his food. After lunch, he stopped by the doctor's office on the way to a business appointment scheduled for later that afternoon.

The doctor, who spotted the polio symptoms immediately, told my dad he had to get to the hospital, to which he replied that he couldn't possibly do that, he had an appointment he couldn't afford to miss. He had a job.

"John," the doctor said, "you don't understand."

Forty-eight hours later he lay in the hospital-paralyzed in a hospital ward with forty other people, all but two of them young children-polio's usual victims. A man who only days earlier had been a picture of healthy perpetual motion was now confined to dining every night through a straw. Polio-a disease so cruel that it doesn't let you move but still lets you feel-demands patience of you. All you can do is wait. Day after day, week after week, my dad lay there, his life in the balance, hoping the virus poliomyelitis would run its course and somehow spare him the kind of destruction you can't repair.

As he lay there his main thought was about what this was doing to his young family. It was that concern, he said later, more than any other, that heightened his determination to see this thing through. He needed to get back out on the road and make sales and provide for his family.

And that's exactly what he did. The doctors came close to putting him in an iron lung when his breathing got so labored that it appeared he would no longer be able to get enough oxygen on his own. At one point a doctor actually sent out a call for the dreaded machine that would make the body so dependent that it could never be removed. But then bad fortune turned to good. His breathing got better, and the virus disappeared, its exit every bit as abrupt as its entrance.

It left him with a permanently atrophied left leg that never would get much bigger than a No. 2 pencil. It also left him without the use of a number of other muscles throughout his body. But it left him, that was the main thing, and when he got out of the hospital he hit the sidewalk-figuratively, at least-running. There were months of rehabilitation at home to come. Hundreds of baths using a crane and pulley system. Thousands of hours re-training all the muscles that could still be re-trained. But as soon as it was humanly possible, John Vidmar was back making his rounds, back climbing the corporate ladder. He eventually progressed from sales rep to senior vice president in charge of all international operations for what became the largest pump company in the world.

One day, when I was 10 years old, my father came home from work with a bloodied face and broken glasses. My mother gasped, thinking he had been mugged. Dad explained that he had tripped while walking across the street. Aparently, his good leg had landed in a pothole and his "bum" leg couldn't support his weight in the follwing step. He went down, hard, hitting the pavement face first. He talked of the embarassment of getting picked up off the street by a gathering of strangers. I will never forget what followed. With a big smile on his face, my father chuckled and said, "I've got to be more careful next time." That was it. I never heard him complain about what everyone else called a handicap.

My father's example helped me become an Olympic champion. Whatever my coach seemed to inflict on me, I accepted, without complaint. How could I complain when every night I came home to a father who never quit?

People face tough times. You don't need to tell Olympians that some things don't always go according to plan. We all face setbacks and changing conditions. But organizations and individuals can still thrive in difficult environments. They may need to take more calculated risks; they may need to innovate, and look for ways to take their products or services to new levels. Or, like John Vidmar, they may need to dig deeply within, to find strength they never knew they had, until circumstances gave them no other choice.

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Peter Vidmar, Olympic Gymnastics Champion, is a speaker on personal achievement, risk taking, and innovation.

10 Tips to Stay Committed to Your New Year's Fitness Resolution

Since I continue to perform on the pommel horse every time I speak (and because people who are good at math realize my Olympic experience was quite a few years ago), I'm constantly asked what my fitness regimen consists of. Before I go into that, let me comment first on health and wellness in general.

As the Vice Chair of the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and a former member of the President's Council, I'm a deeply committed advocate of fitness for people of all ages. I firmly believe, and mountains of evidence support, that when we exercise regularly and eat properly, we may dramatically improve our quality of life, as well as increase our propensity to living a longer life. Who doesn't want to reduce the risk of premature death, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, colon cancer, breast cancer, depression and anxiety, while improving your psychological well being and enhancing our work lives, too?

However, too often we let our busy schedules hinder any commitment we may have to work towards our fitness goals. While I'm far from perfect, I have been consistent with my wellness program by practicing the art of "mind over mattress". Please don't think I'm advocating less sleep here. Practicing "mind over mattress" refers to the time we may choose to exercise. We all know it's often hard and inconvenient to interrupt our workday with a run, swim, or trip to the gym. Some people do use the middle of the day to exercise, but for most of us it's difficult. So what's left? Mornings and evenings - we can either commit to exercise as soon as we rise each morning or before we go to bed.  Because I'm a morning person and my days may keep me busy until late at night, I have found it most convenient to exercise in the morning as soon as I leave my mattress. 

I vary my workouts among the things I love most, such as cycling with friends, running with my yellow lab Jasper, or surfing with my son. Every morning, I try to do something (though I do rest on Sundays).  My fitness regimen also consists of resistance training: push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and weights a few days a week. Of course, I also do some gymnastics exercises (that I don't recommend!). Lest I overwhelm you, I do all of this because my work demands that I be very fit.  Or as my 95 year old friend and fitness legend, Jack LaLanne, once told me , "I can't die...it will ruin my image!"  To enjoy many of the benefits listed above, experts say we really only need regular exercise of 30 to 60 minutes, three times a week. (If exercise is currently not a part of your life, you should see your physician before embarking on an exercise program.)

The key, however, to practicing "mind over mattress" is commitment - something I learned many years ago through preparing and competing in the Olympics.  Soon after I graduated from high school, I found myself on a run with my coach in Colorado Springs.  As we finished, my coach looked at me and said, "Pete, do you know what a vow is?"

Whenever he asked questions, I'd get nervous. I knew he always had a motive behind them, and that motive usually involved more work for me.

"A what?" I said. (I guess I was buying time.)

"A vow," he said.

"Yeah," I answered. "I know what a vow is."

"Let's make a vow," he said. "Let's vow that you will do morning training before breakfast every day like this until you graduate from college. And I will too."

So what was I going to say? No?

"Uh, OK," I said.

"Let's shake on it."

So we shook on it, and when we did, when I shook his hand, even though there was no drum roll, no trumpets blaring, and no lawyers were writing it down, I knew it was binding. I thought, "I have to do this."

Keeping that vow was a piece of cake for the first couple of months, when I was healthy, when I didn't have any early classes, but it definitely became more challenging as I dealt with fatigue, final exams, and other distractions. I never missed a day though. I'd made a commitment and I was going to stick with it, NO MATTER WHAT.

Sometimes life requires this kind of "NO MATTER WHAT" attitude. The benefits I've received from practicing "mind over mattress" are real and lasting. They go beyond fitness and enhance productivity in every aspect of my life. As you think about your new year's resolutions for 2009, be sure not only to ask yourself what you want to accomplish, but - even more importantly - how you will stay committed to your goals.  The only thing between wishing for it and achieving it - is the how.

Peter's 10 Tips to Stay Committed to Your New Year's Fitness Resolution:

Decide on a specific time to exercise that will be most convenient for you. Start off with 30-60 minutes, three days a week. Schedule this time in your calendar as if it were any other important appointment.

Find activities you actually enjoy. Do you like to work out alone? Participate in exercise classes at the gym? Or do you enjoy social group sports, such as tennis or basketball? Focus on what is most fun and you'll be much more likely to stick with it consistently.

• Mix it up. If you do the same thing every day, you will grow tired of it eventually.
• Find a friend, or two. Committing to a friend is easier than committing to a treadmill. If you need someone to really push you along, seek out an expert at a local health club or find a certified personal trainer you're comfortable with.
• Take it public. Tell family and friends you are committing to a fitness plan. This will help hold you accountable and when other commitments pop up during your regularly scheduled fitness time, they will understand when you have to decline.
• Set measurable objectives. How many inches, pounds do you want to lose? How fast do you want to be able to run a mile? How many points do you want to lower your cholesterol by? Measure your results. Visualize your results.
• Keep a scale by the shower. Most people hate the thought of this, but it can be very motivating when you begin to see results. Weigh yourself every morning. Remember, where performance is measured, performance improves. 
•  If you travel often for business, don't watch TV unless you are in the hotel fitness center.
• Don't think of your fitness program as a "project," but more as a permanent lifestyle change. (If you need help with this, read tip #2 again.)
• Remember - Have fun! Be positive! And don't quit!

The win-win story of a truly honorable Olympic Competitor 

At the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, one athlete, representing all athletes, holds a corner of the Olympic flag and recites the following: "In the name of all competitors, I promise we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the spirit of true sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams." Sadly, that oath has been broken many times.  But there are many inspiring examples of individuals who, while striving to be the very best athlete, didn't lose sight of being a very good person as well. Let me share with you just one story.

Read the article by Peter Vidmar, "How to Keep Your Eye on the Gold"

In my presentations, I often speak on the importance of visualization - the ability to picture something in your mind and prepare for it, long before you face the actual moment of truth.  I tried this with my youngest son, Stephen, who is an accomplished high school wrestler. 

On the wall of his high school gymnasium hung a banner listing the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) champions for our division in the state.  Last year, I pointed out the banner to Stephen and told him, "Wouldn't that be great if your name was the next one on the wall?" To which my son replied, "uh huh."  (For those of you who don't speak "teenager," this means "yes.")  What followed was a very significant focus on a concrete objective, many extra hours in the gym and a dedication I'm very familiar with.

At the end of the season, my son found himself in the CIF Southern Division finals.  I drove Stephen to the high school at 6:30 am on a rainy morning to meet his coach for our drive to the competition.  He wanted to jog a bit to make sure he was at weight so the coach opened the gym and Stephen jogged around an empty dark room, lit only by an exit sign.  While running, he said, "Dad, look," and he pointed to the banner on the wall. Stephen just kept on jogging.  That afternoon, he went on to take the title after his final win and I sat down next to him.  With sweat pouring down his face, he looked ahead and said, "Dad, I can't believe I actually made it to the wall."  He was so happy.  But I think I might have been even happier than he was!

The next year, Stephen wanted to take his skills to the next level.  So after a summer of wrestling almost every day, competing at the Junior National Championships, and working under three separate coaches he felt ready to qualify for the CIF State High School Championships.  Only the top 36 wrestlers from 2000 schools in California make it.  And only the top eight in Stephen's Section (550 high schools) qualify at what is appropriately called the "Masters Meet." 

In the competition that determined who would go to State and who would go home, my son found himself in a brutal and exhausting match against an opponent who also knew what was at stake.  Stephen got off to a 5-0 lead, but his opponent battled back in the final period, and they were tied 6-6.  I think I was more nervous for my son than I was for myself in the Olympics!  With 10 seconds left, the score was still tied.  A 2 point takedown in wrestling must take place within the circular boundary of the mat.  So with 8 seconds left, my son was able to lunge towards his opponent and take him down, maintaining the presence of mind to keep his toes inside the circle.  As the other boy went down, the referee looked at my son's toes, and then he raised his hand for the "two!" Exhausted relief for Stephen.  Pure elation for Dad.

Visualization is not a substitute for hard work and dedication.  But if you add it to your to your training regimen - whether in sports, business, or your personal relationships - you will prepare your mind for success, which is the first step in achieving all your goals and dreams.