Diving into the story, lessons, and greatness of  Nims Purja from his book: Beyond Possible

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1:20 - The doubters

In 2019, an article on the Red Bull website said my goal as an unknown climber was as likely as a “swim to the moon.” Still, I believed it.

2:00 - Why do the impossible?

But for me, it was an opportunity to prove the world that everything, anything, was possible if you dedicated your heart and mind to a plan

7:20  - Make your goals your God


15:20 - The Impossible Goal

So rather than climbing the five tallest mountains in the 80 days, what was stopping me from topping all 14 death zone mountains in the quickest time imaginable? I struggled to think of too many pitfalls. Only politics or money. Or maybe an avalanche or a crevasse, if I’m really unlucky

The goal of shaving off an entire seven years from the world record was wildly ambitious, but I quickly embraced the idea. The bottom line was to climb as quickly as possible, whatever the weather, Nims style

17:40 - How to make the right decision

The man who wishes to keep at a problem long enough to really learn anything positively must not take dangerous risks. Carelessness and overconfidence are usually more dangerous than deliberately accepted risks.


20:25 - Nine lessons from Project Possible

When trying to negotiate with pain, I often worked to create a bigger more controllable hurt, one that would shut out the first: replacing an agony beyond my control. 

My biggest concern throughout the mission was not finishing, either through weakness or dying. So I used the potential consequences of failure as a way of not quitting. I pictured the disappointed people who had once looked to my project for inspiration, or the joking doubters who could inevitably make comments in inerviews and call me out online. Imagining their faces fired me up.

You’re not going to get to your dream by just fantasizing about it. But if you make it your ultimate goal, or god, and give yourself to it entirely, there’s a good chance it will come your way…The job had become my church, and I invested all my efforts in it. 

Disguising my pain and suffering was a skill I practiced at all times, and I did so by focusing intensely on the job at hand; it helped to shut out the chaos around me.


One Final Note

Whatever you’re after or whoever you’re representing, make it visible

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Check out my new book Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence