You don't have to be...
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"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things -- to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals." Who said that? Well, it's an old quote from a famous person, and I'm not sure I would agree that the man is ordinary. I would agree with his basic premise. Motivation is the key to most human achievement. An ordinary person with sufficient motivation can reach challenging goals.
The person who said that was Sir Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, 1919, he served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II. He obtained his early mountaineering experience in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. In 1951 and 1952 he participated in expeditions to the Himalayas. He joined the British Mount Everest Expedition in 1953 as one of the chief climbers. With the Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest (29,028 feet), the world's highest peak. Hillary reached the summit on May 29, 1953, and was knighted for the achievement later that year. In 1955 he was appointed leader of the New Zealand party of the British Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which was headed by Vivian E. Fuchs. He crossed the continent by tractor, reaching the South Pole on January 4, 1958, the first person to do so by overland journey since Robert F. Scott in 1912. He subsequently led several expeditions to the Himalayas.
Here's that quote again: "You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things -- to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals."
The person who said that was Sir Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, 1919, he served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II. He obtained his early mountaineering experience in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. In 1951 and 1952 he participated in expeditions to the Himalayas. He joined the British Mount Everest Expedition in 1953 as one of the chief climbers. With the Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest (29,028 feet), the world's highest peak. Hillary reached the summit on May 29, 1953, and was knighted for the achievement later that year. In 1955 he was appointed leader of the New Zealand party of the British Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which was headed by Vivian E. Fuchs. He crossed the continent by tractor, reaching the South Pole on January 4, 1958, the first person to do so by overland journey since Robert F. Scott in 1912. He subsequently led several expeditions to the Himalayas.
Here's that quote again: "You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things -- to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals."
