“Seven Years in Tibet” – which I thought was going to be an account of one man’s friendship with the Dalai Lama – actually begins with the lengthy tale (65 chapters!) of Heinrich Harrer trying to escape war imprisonment in India and trekking through Tibet.
Only one purpose – to be free – guided his every decision, and every risk that he chose to undertake. Thankfully, at least escape wasn’t punishable by death (Indian and Tibetan cultures didn’t punish with death), which meant that as soon he was captured, he was already planning his next escape for which he may need to wait months. In fact, it took many attempts till he finally achieved freedom.
There are a few interesting observations about escaping and the risk taking:
- it required careful preparation and relevant tools (e.g. ladders, routes, costumes, compass etc), and then waiting for right moment to commit,
- as soon as they were on the run, they never knew what was going to happen next – extreme adaptability, extreme decision making,
- decisions were based on survival, and any risk taken was always guided towards that single goal: ‘to be free’,
- there was luck involved – sometimes he was lucky, sometimes not,
- a lot of his luck was down to hidden help (alliances), his own physical ability (he was an ex-Olympic athlete), or how much a potential adversary believed his story / turned a blind eye,
- bad luck was confronted with determination and high risk choices – such as, bluffing, lying, brute force or taking treacherous mountain paths in mid-winter – whatever was required, so long as they stayed free.
It’s a particularly interesting story because at no point was money a determining factor for decision-making in this journey. It’s therefore a metaphor that we can use for other endeavours.
We often gladly listen to the stories of successful entrepreneurs, but too often the success is defined as being financial success.
In reality, the successful financial reward is no different to a ladder or a costume; it is just tool to reaching or achieving your purpose. In the story with Heinrich Harrer, money was in fact one of the tools he used, just like he used his map or compass, to get him closer towards his purpose: freedom.
In ‘You Are What You Risk’ (by Michelle Wucker), a study from Princeton University indicated that contrary to popular stereotypes, entrepreneurs are in fact more reluctant than the general population to take financial risks. Instead, “they are motivated not so much by money, but rather other factors like personal fulfilment and autonomy.”
Every decision entails risk and hence the importance of a clear vision and purpose in order to take risks!
Stripped back to its most extreme and raw form, the human endeavour recounted in Tibet is an example of a single clear intention and the risks he took – taking the risks to advance towards your cause.
As Wucker summarizes succinctly: “Once you have that sense of value and purpose, the fear of the risk dissipates. The risk simply becomes who you are. Your choice is to shrink away or to embrace the risk choices at the heart of your identity.“
—
Addendum
In one delightful exchange with a Tibetan bureaucrat – who ultimately, through good fortune, gave Harrer the requisite pass to stay on in Tibet – there was a piece of advice given before the pass was handed over: “Your European urgency to achieve your goals quickly won’t work here. It takes time.” No doubt, the advice actually holds true everywhere and it’s perhaps a reference to ancient concept of wu-wei.
—
You Are What You Risk – Michel Wucker
Sieben Jahre in Tibet – Heinrich Harrer