Embrace the Extraordinary
Key Points:
1. Even if we are not climbing volcanoes towards the stars above, we can still realize our potential much more than we may give ourselves credit for. Humans are capable of amazing things, at any scale.
2. Be open to peak experiences - those in which we are completely present, feeling fulfilled, and where time becomes irrelevant.
I’ve done a lot of crazy difficult expeditions in my life. Chimborazo was the hardest I have ever worked physically, mentally, and emotionally. As a volcano, it gradually gets more challenging because the higher you go, the steeper it gets—and the more ice, snow, and rock you need to navigate. As the terrain gets more trying and dangerous, there is less oxygen in the air and you move more slowly. Then fatigue sets in, and the mental war gets fierce. Layer on top of that the stress associated with the falling rocks around you, the 55-degree slope, the darkness of night, a 3,000-foot cliff beside you, and a family back home that relies on you, and fear becomes another player in your mind–body battle.
But as we continued to work our way up the mountain through the night, it stopped snowing and got darker. We had broken through the clouds, which were now below us, and the sky opened up overhead. I stopped climbing and raised my eyes up from the ground, over my friends in front of me, and toward the sky. “Hey, everyone, look up,” I said. The line stopped, silence descended, heads lifted, and someone said, “Holy shit.”
You see, we weren’t just farther from the earth’s centre than we had ever been: We were also the closest humans on the planet to the stars. That’s why we were there. That was our dream, our drive, our vow, our commitment. We were operating at the peak of our physical and mental capacity for this very reason. We wanted to touch the sky.
I saw more stars than I thought a sky could hold. My sense of awe and wonder made the risk, pain, fatigue, and fear all worth it. I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life. It’s imprinted on me, like a tattoo.
Then the lead guide put his head down and resumed climbing. We all followed, and the suffering continued.
Ultimately, my colleagues Gillian White and Sara Thompson, along with their guide, made it all the way to the summit. The rest of us got to about 6000 metres, having reached our absolute limits, and made the decision to return to the camp safely.
Despite how hard it was, I know every person on that expedition would say it was the experience of a lifetime and that they would do it again in an instant. I’m also sure that the sight of our galaxy laid out above us is burned into their consciousness, too. That expedition gave us the opportunity to live life to the absolute limits of our human potential.
We all have ferocious potential, and it’s more possible to realize this potential than many of us believe. In this module we’ll look at the science and practice behind optimal human performance and health to explore how we reach our potential—whether for a single moment, a few hours, or longer.
Open Up to Peak Experience
We can probably all identify with a flow state moment. The run where everything felt easy, the day at work where you got loads done and time seemed to fly by, the moment of joy with your kids. Peak experience has most of the same characteristics as flow with one key difference. Peak experience moments are transformative in that they have a meaning that changes your perspective on life.
While most people can identify with a moment of flow, fewer people report having experienced peak experience. Peak experiences are states where we have peak performance along with full clarity of self in the process. Gayle Privette, a researcher at the University of West Florida, suggests that peak experience involves “a heightened sense of wonder, awe, or ecstasy over an experience.” An example that many people can relate to is falling deeply in love with someone, but peak experiences can happen in sports, music, the arts, nature, and during many other pursuits.
Generally, there appear to be three core characteristics of peak experiences:
A sense of significance that leads to an increase in personal awareness or understanding;
A sense of fulfillment where the experience generates positive emotions and is intrinsically rewarding; and
A sense of connection and losing track of time.
These moments of peak experience may occur privately, perhaps as a moment of sudden insight while writing. They may occur in public, perhaps during a speech when you are in the zone or while listening to or performing music at a concert. But whatever it is and whoever else sees or experiences it, its meaning is deeply personal.
So, what is that for you?
Today’s Call to Action: Time Shifts - I have a Day to Recharge
Learning how to open up to peak experiences might take some time to reflect and reset so if you have a day to recharge, take advantage of it! Refer to the Time Shifts on page 36 in your Rest, Refocus, Recharge Workbook for some ideas on what you can do if you have a full day to recharge. Or write down your own ideas in the Embrace the Extraordinary Notes section on page 37 of the Rest, Refocus, Recharge Workbook. Good luck!
Today’s Bonus Video
Check out this video of Greg discussing the importance of embracing the extraordinary.
The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.