Beyond local maximums

Of the 107 billion humans who’ve ever lived, fewer than 500 have climbed The Seven Summits, the highest points of elevation on each continent. The first human to climb all seven was a 55-year old American, Dick Bass.

Dick Bass was an American businessman, rancher, and mountaineer. Also the owner of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah until he sold his stake in 2014.

And in 1985, Dick became the oldest person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. 29,032’ above sea level. He was 55.

And what’s more, Everest was the last mountain Dick needed to climb to become the first human to reach The Seven Summits. The highest points of elevation on each continent. He’d already climbed:

1. Aconcagua in Argentina

2. Denali in Alaska

3. Elbrus in Russia

4. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania

5. Kosciuszko in Australia

6. and Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

Then, as a grand finale, Everest.

Legendary.

Dick was probably born a climber. The kind of person who reaches The Seven Summits would probably find a way to channel that drive regardless of circumstances.

But what if he’d been a climber born to a modest farming family in Indiana in 1829 instead of to a wealthy Texas oil family in 1929? His dream might have been to climb Hoosier Hill, a 1,257’ hill near a small grove of trees beside a dairy farm. The highest point in Indiana.

1,257’ above sea level.

Same guy. Same commitment and grit. Hoosier Hill would have been his local maximum. 23x shorter than Everest.

Dick might have spent a lifetime climbing Hoosier Hill without ever knowing he was capable of climbing Everest.

“Don’t be Tricked by Local Maximums. Getting tunnel-vision hill climbing can be very dangerous. Climbing up the corporate ladder is great and all but don’t lose your ability to get distracted, you never know what opportunity you will stumble on.”

- Naval Ravikant

It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on local maximums. To dream of becoming a VP at a corporation or a champion gardener in our small town. But maybe we were created for a less obvious path. A path we can’t find without exploring.

Here’s a parable.

The Barnacle

Once there was a barnacle who lived on a dock. Every day, he watched ships pass overhead as they unloaded and loaded their cargo. On one particular day, a peculiar looking box fell into the water and accidentally opened, revealing a genie. The genie, emerging from the box, saw the barnacle and assumed he was the entity who summoned him. "Sir, I am a powerful genie and I can grant you a wish. Being a barnacle is a drab existence, and I can fix that for you. If you could be anything in the world, what would you be?"

The barnacle was delighted by his luck. His dream was coming true. He eagerly replied, "A zebra mollusk!"

Before we decide to commit to a goal or follow a dream. Before we decide to climb that ladder… we should look around and reflect on whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

Are we following the right dream?

Or are we just focusing on a local maximum?

Focusing on a local maximum is fine. Even great. We shouldn’t feel obligated to climb Everest.

But before we dream of becoming a zebra mollusk, we should at least be aware of Tigers.

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