Toilet Paper and Pringles

Success often depends on toilet paper and Pringles. At least that’s what Jamie Clarke will tell you about reaching the top of Mt. Everest. The dynamic speaker was one of the highlights at the PCMA Education Conference in Montreal. Jamie did something very few people have been able to do—he stood at the top of the world. After two failed attempts, he made it to the summit of Mt. Everest, just weeks before he spoke at PCMA.

Jamie was amazing. I found myself enthralled with his presentation, both laughing out loud, and feeling the goosebumps as he told stories about his team members who almost didn’t make it home. In the middle of some of the most compelling stories I’ve ever heard, were details about the importance of toilet paper and Pringles.

Whether you’re climbing a literal mountain, or your own Everest, success is in the details.

During one of the failed attempts to the top, Jamie and his team ran out of toilet paper. Can you imagine? It’s 30 below, the wind is howling, you haven’t showered in weeks, you’re eating strange food cooked by Shurpas, and you run out of toilet paper. No doubt that mission is likely doomed. They learned from the experience, however, and packed twice as much during their second attempt to the top.

The second time—they struggled with potato chips. You see, they had packed regular potato chips in small bags, like Lays. It turns out when you’re at 15,000 feet, the air pressure makes the bags (and the chips) explode. Just picture climbing one difficult step at a time, in freezing weather, under the most treacherous of conditions, and having little bombs going off in your backpack. Terrifying. Not to mention the chips were impossible to eat. Pringles, on the other hand, are vaccuum packed. They keep their shape, and as Jamie says, “They have great karma because they’ve been spooning inside the can since they were made!”

Jamie Clarke says they made it to the summit not because of one thing, but because of a 1001 small things. It took teamwork, planning, and experience to make sure those 1001 things went right.

Isn’t that true for all of us? We all have our own Everest—and are constantly working to adjust what’s in our backpack, what tools we bring along the journey, and how we define success once we get there.

My thanks to Jamie Clarke for making the trip to Montreal, after making a trip to the top of the world. All of us us who heard your story are now inspired to climb our own Everests, and to pack toilet paper and Pringles.

Jamie is represented by Keppler Speakers. Check out his bio, and consider booking him at your next event. You'll be inspired!