ENDNOTES
What’s within you is stronger
than what’s in your way.
I
seriously love a challenge. Whether it’s exceeding a budget
goal, finishing a work deadline, reading the last page of a
book or completing the final obstacle of an extremely difficult mud run, it’s rewarding to finish something you’ve
STYLING & PHOTO BY ECHOSTARMAKER.COM
started. There is almost nothing as exciting as feeling that sense of
accomplishment.
I recently experienced that sense of accomplishment with several
members of the ISPA Board of Directors when we teamed up with
No Barriers USA to summit a mountain with the organization’s
founder, Erik Weihenmayer. Erik was the first blind climber in history
to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Mount
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!
@LynneMcNees
Everest. The mission of the organization is to unleash the potential
of the human spirit, which is done by giving individuals with physical limitations the ability to conquer their dreams.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!
International SPA Association
We have all climbed mountains and pushed ourselves beyond
where we thought we could, but this experience was different—I
had never climbed a mountain with such brave individuals who never equated being
blind, missing limbs or other physical obstacles as limitations but simply as their reality
to conquer. As soon as you get started, you no longer think about it as climbing a
mountain, but simply taking it one step at a time—over and over. After we made it
to the top, Erik, who was leading the climb, stopped us to deliver a short message.
These words stood out to me:
“The nature of mind is like water, if you do not disturb it, it will become clear.”
WOW! It was clear, we all had limitations when we began the climb, it wasn’t
about missing limbs or being bound to a wheelchair—we all have barriers. He went
on to say “Don’t distract yourself from the purpose of life. Think less and just execute.”
Thanks to ISPA Chairman Michael Tompkins and ISPA members Heather Thomson
and Remembrance Staber for giving us the opportunity to experience this. If you would
like to embrace the No Barriers mission, please let us know as ISPA will be participating again next year in a much bigger way and would love to have you join us. In the
CONQUER YOUR BARRIER
with Weihenmayer’s inspiring words.
Click here to launch a video of his message
to the ISPA Board during their first
No Barriers USA summit.
meantime, think about your own barrier. What are you doing to conquer it?
—LYNNE McNEES, ISPA PRESIDENT
72 PULSE
■
September 2015