Honors College speaker shares adventures, offers advice
The Phil Hardin Foundation Honors College Advisors Morgan Boothe, left, and Candace Rainer, pose with mountaineer John Beede. Beede spoke during the Honors College forum.
So, what does mountain climbing have to do with personal challenges? Plenty, if you
ask John Beede.
Beede, a worldwide adventurer and author, spoke to the campus and community at the Phil Hardin Foundation Honors College at Meridian Community College forum. He shared his exploration tales of climbing some of the world's tallest mountains including Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, Mt. Everest in Asia, and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
He also related his excursions to encourage the audience, giving them strategies for adaptation, collaboration, resilience, and goal setting. "This is about your challenges, your big adventures, your passions for yourself and your life,” he said.
"In short, your summit awaits," he added.
Among his suggestions was that you are your own guru, to have the courage to play in the unknown and commit to being in the here and now. "Mountains will never lower themselves to your level," he said. "You must rise to the demands."
Beede, the author of Summit Leadership: 7 Steps to Leading From the Top, The Mini-Manual for Becoming Super-Awesome, and Climb On! Success Strategies for Teens has been featured on 60 Minutes and The Weather Channel. He was also invited to speak at TEDxCapeTown, which was attended by South Africa's most influential thinkers and leaders.
For more information at the Phil Hardin Honors College at Meridian Community College, visit meridiancc.edu/honorscollege.