In our modern and current ways of life, we are showered in luxury, blessed with modern technology, and raised with life being relatively easy. Given that we don’t have to work hard for our resources, our bond and connection with reality and mother nature gradually gets fainter and fainter. Speaking in the perspective of a 12 year old, life philosophies and life experience is not what we’re most familiar with, this road trip across Canada has taught us and prepped us with what may become of our future. In other words, the first steps of life experience.
As we travel along the way, we see many wonders of mother nature. Wonders and stories of mother nature that constantly lectures us intimately, how is your future going to be like? How is everything going to fall into place? What kind of precautions and contingency plans do we have to look out for? Life is like a hike on the glacier lakes, you don’t know the fixed variables, you don’t know what’s potentially harmful, you just get what you think you’d need, and set off along the adventure. Keeping this in mind, backtrack yourself along the trip. The scenery, the wildlife, the trails, and pieces of history.
Go back to the very first moment we began our expedition. That time where all the sprinters were white, clean, and brand-new. Then think of how the sprinters look like now, dented, scratched, dirt-feasted, but still running perfectly fine. When the sprinters were nice white and brand-new, they represent the beginning of it all, the polished prepped and comfortable start. The dirt on the sprinters now represent the pain gained along the way. Then we come to a stop somewhere unexpected, and get a chance to wash it all off, a brand new start. Going back to the scene of the glacier lake, the vehicle is just like the shoes we wear as we hike. They start out brand new and dry, but as you go along the way and encounter unexpected events, and you get them wet, you get them dirty, occasionally you break them, but with all this in mind, they never complain a bit. They simply suck it up, and go.
Think about the train you saw crossing, with the nearly 2.5 kilometer long cargo trailer packed behind it. It went relatively fast, with a stability of a normal car. But how? With greater power, comes greater responsibility. Think about how much weight and stress is linked up with the train, how many tons of weight, how many potential accidents, how much responsibility is placed on the train. But the train still carries on its duty, with its great strength, it keeps the entire cargo train going. This is like your backpack when hiking. Its your ultimate responsibility, the consequence is unbearable as it is your only source of food and survival equipment. With more supplies and greater comfort comes a bigger responsibility, and a bigger chance to fall and injure yourself. As a leader, you must be capable, capable to carry the weight, the responsibility of the team with the team trusting him/her. Just like that head of the train pulling the rest of the cargo with great might, also carrying the strength to support it all.
Look up to the sky, remember that flock of migrating birds? Travelling in a synchronized group, in a very accurate V formation. They follow their leader, move as a synchronized group, and do everything as one. How? Because the leader leads by example, with the team’s great coordination and team work, succeed in carrying their important task, migrating. Why do they travel in a V formation? As they are also intelligent living beings, they travel in a V formation to ensure everyone has their eyes on the example, their own safety as a group, to back each other up when in need, just like our convoy.
Recap to the moment where we arrived to Inuvik, go through the moments where we communicated and social with the locals, where we learnt about the group contingency plans, their activities as a community. See how they support each other using their diversified professions? Their contingency plans are evidence of their efficiency, their teamwork. Basically structures of brilliance that first, keeps the community going, second considers everyone’s benefits, and third, becomes a indestructible wall that reinforces the safety of the community. For example, the police officers ensure the discipline of the group, the execution of the members. Then the different position such as engineers, cooks, entertainers, catholic sisters, crafters, mayor, etc. they all support each other when in need, the cooks ensure the stomachs of the community to be full, the entertainers and artists help improve the local economy, the engineers fix and invents things to help better the community, the mayor is in charge and makes sure everything is functioning and make decisions that are benefitting the community. This is equivalent to the different responsibilities and jobs given to the team crossing the glacier lake. They carry different duties to backup each other, to increase efficiency and execution to the plans.
Step back and look at the big picture. Remember all those small and big mistakes you made? Those are small marks of experience, small marks of knowledge. Just like the unexpected slips and slides along the hike., As you continue to hike, you start to understand which rock is going to slip, which rock is going to sink, becomes more predictable over experience. There has to be slips, slides, for you to improve and learn. But unpredictable and unknown obstacles will and could come ahead when you least expect it. whenever a obstacle hits you, stop, think, observe, and plan. Step back, look at the big picture, and think of the next step. How are you going to get there? A rough route idea? Should you show your group the big picture to lift up their hopes?
Think about New years, remember the fireworks? That moment where the gunpowder just shoots up to the sky and blasts into many small fragments that creates an ultimate picture. A beautiful show. Then think about the bullets used to penetrate goals, hitting a target, completing a task. These items are both made from the same material, gun powder. But how are you going to mold and use these materials to create the appropriate show or appropriate solutions. Different situations, different solutions. This is all about flexibility, how are you going to be flexible and adapt onto the situations? Refer back to the stepping stones, how are you going to cross as a group? How are you going to adapt as a team and perform diversified? Adaptability, flexibility, and divertive jobs.
Leadership is what people need to hike up the road towards success. Success is like once said, what people crave for, something many die for, something people work till death for. As for this trip, we’ve done a lot. We crossed Canada, went up to the furthest point on Canadian roads, crossed a glacier river path, seen almost everything, all a gift of mother`nature. Purpose? to experience the possibilities of life, the possible screw-ups, the possible failures, the success, the accomplishments, the possible considerations. A lot of symbolic and deep meanings, just like how the flock of birds gave us inspirations, the trains giving us endless thoughts, the glacier hike symbolically showing you life… etc.
You might think, how does this relate to success? Well, its as simple as such, the vehicles represent the tools and equipment you use, but also the attitude of sucking it up, taking the unexpected obstacles coming ahead without complaint, just like what a leader should do.
Then, we have the train, representing the strength and power used in pulling the entire group. The responsibilities given, the risks taken in benefit of the team, carrying responsibility and weight. Being able to take the consequences.
After, we have the synchronized birds, representing the communication excellence and synchronization within the entire operation, how the leader leads by example, and how the followers follow with absolute trust.
Then we have the Inuvik operation, with the diversified jobs and ability to adapt.
All of these steps and inspiring thoughts are results of what we’ve learnt so far. How we think the road of success should look like, how to work as a team, as a group to do so.
Successful is a term many people strive to become, a way of life that people do outrageous things for, or simply a level of respect gained from others. Being successful can be determined in many ways, seen in different perspectives, and so called “ achieved” with extremely different methods.
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