703. Transformation Through Travel

As a young boy, Paul would always be in the woods in his neighborhood, playing in the dirt. That translated in college to a degree in environmental science, and starting his career in big corporations doing environmental and sustainability programs. “But I was really more interested in the process of being in the outdoors and engaging people. Looking back at it, I might have been more well suited to go into a program around forestry or something like that.”

A couple of years into his corporate environmental job, he devised a plan to develop the skills and physical endurance he needed to fulfill his childhood dream of climbing the tallest mountains in the world. In a year and a half he felt he was ready to climb in the Himalayas. “At the moment I reached the summit of my first Himalayan peak—a mountain literally across the valley from Mount Everest—it was like a peace that came over me, and I decided that I really wanted to purse a life of adventure.”

I had now worked in the corporate world for over 20 years. I had a very successful career. I made good money, owned a house, I had the American dream really in many ways, but I wasn’t happy. And that was the thing I kept coming back to. Every moment truly counts and so why not go out and live life on your terms? So shortly after that I decided that’s what I was going to do, and I quit my job and sold my house and moved to South America.

1. Think of everyone you meet in life as either one of your greatest students or one of your greatest teachers, and live your life accordingly.

2. Get out of your comfort zone, step off the trail that you’re following in life and explore what’s beyond that.

3. Explore different aspects of yourself. Don’t get locked in.

4. Value other people’s opinions. Nobody’s truly wrong or right. There are valuable opinions on both sides.