The 5 Audacities of Women Who Lead - 1/5.

Have you ever wondered how some women seem to get things done with great confidence and 'can-do' spirit and make it look effortless? During Women's Month in South Africa (August) I have opportunities to address many female-only audiences all across the country. This August, for the first time in my 30-year speaking career, I was asked to speak on the theme of AUDACITY for an event in Cape Town. I was thrilled with this challenge and immediately got to work trying to fit the "audacity" theme into my Tackling The Summit®️ keynote. At first, I thought to use examples from other women leaders, but then it occurred to me that I could plug the theme into my own story. A story I've been sharing for three decades.

Without further delay, here the first of the audacities I've extracted out of my own story.

AUDACITY No 1

Dreaming is free!

When I share with my audiences, I literally start at the beginning. I share where my dream to climb Mt. Everest started. That it's a simple story of a simple young girl, born into a working-class family during the oppressive days of the Apartheid regime. During that time, there was absolutely no evidence that a young Coloured girl from Uitenhage stood any chance of ever reaching or even seeing the highest mountain on earth with her own eyes.

Deshun climbing on walls during the 1970's.

I was born and started school during the chaotic days of the 1970's. I was blessed with an extraordinary grandmother. My maternal grandmother—Lydia Johanna Victoria Gertzen—always used to give us (her grandchildren) some of her opinions about the future. Having worked in the houses of English families, she was a great fan of the British Royals. In fact, we had photographs of a young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip up on the wall in her living room. As a young woman, she heard about a man called Edmund Hillary, who became the first man recorded in history (together with Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay) to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 1953. It captivated her so much that she named my cousin Hillary. I grew up listening to her admiration of this incredible feat. She made me realize that I can decide what I want for the future, not just to allow life to happen randomly.

So, being a naturally curious and adventurous child, I started to wonder if I could become like Edmund Hillary and set foot on the slopes of the world's big mountains. What evidence did I have that it was possible? Absolutely zero! There was no way of even knowing how to get to these mountains.

So, what is the point in dreaming? Consider this: if you dream about achieving something, there's a chance it may happen. However, if you don't dream about achieving something, chances are 100% that you won't achieve it.

We celebrate Women's Day in South Africa because on the 9th of August 1965, 20 000 courageous women had a dream that their daughters and granddaughters could one day live in a society where they could move about freely and cast a democratic vote. Because of those women, I was able to sign up to join the 1st South African Team to attempt Mt. Everest in 1996—70 years later. Yes, to dream is free, and (combined with action) it can make impactful ripples into the future.

The women who take on Big, Hairy, Scary things are those who start by dreaming of a future that seems unlikely or even impossible. How can they do that? They—and we—can do it, because we can activate our own imagination without having to pay anyone a cent. To dream requires only one's ability to think, which we all have. It is based on the premise that 'how you start does not determine how you're going to finish.'

Dreaming is a bit like the Japanese proverb: "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is today." It's all about the audacity to dream.

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