“When you’re on your own, your mind can’t wander. There isn’t much opportunity for deep reflective introspection. You have to be on it the whole time. You’re responsible for everything. Navigation, looking at the weather, timekeeping, making sure you’re looking after yourself, and your gear, eating regularly, drinking regularly, as soon as you stop, you gotta put up the tent, you gotta dig up the snow to melt the snow, make the food, make the drinks, update the website, make calls on the satellite phone, check in with the team.
On a solo expedition, you’re busy the whole time. You have to be focused the whole time.”
That’s Ben Saunders, 1 of 3 people in history to ski solo to both the North and South poles, and currently holds the world record for the longest-ever polar journey on foot.
Achievement must mean something different for Ben. When you’ve accomplished a pinnacle of human capability, how he’s understood what it means to accomplish has evolved over the past two decades.
“The biggest expedition I did, which was the Scott Expedition, two of us, 1800 miles, 3 and half months, a world record. Getting to the finish line, making sure my teammate Tarka was right next to me, stepping from ice to land at the same time, the biggest, most audacious goal of my life… In about that moment, stepping on shore… nothing happened. The ultimate anti-climax.”
The mental and physical exhaustion was immense. To spend years of your life devoted to achieving a singular moment in time, to then possess it, and feel… nothing. Of course, he didn’t feel nothing. He felt lots of gratitude for his team, his supporters, and his sponsors. In a defacto sort of way, he had become his own CEO of a business employing a dozen people, where the product was himself. And by the end of this venture, he felt burnt out. It took months to repair the physical toll on his body, as he readily admits today, and is prob still working through the mental experience.
“The goal, the thing that had been giving me all this energy. As soon as I accomplished it, it was all gone and there was nothing to replace it.”
In Ben’s early days, it was more about personal ambition. Wanting to make a mark on this world and looking for a path forward in life, he sought to do something so impressive that people would have to notice him. Perhaps throw accolades his way and then he’d feel happy.
“It was a profound mistake to outsource my happiness.”
The irony that bore out of his expeditions was at the hardest points, it was his teammates that saved him. Whether it was the life-saving satellite call on Day 70 of the Scott Expedition for an airdrop or the grid of emotions during his solo treks, it was his team that he could rely upon. Although seeking external validation is def not the way to go, being part of a social structure is essential to our survival.
A 2016 study on The Relationship Between Group Identification and Satisfaction with Life found, “thinking more about one’s group life could have significant benefits for one’s overall sense of well-being. While this conclusion might appear rather intuitive to many,... we often risk forgetting because of the hectically paced and achievement-focused nature of modern life: that to be your best self, you tend to require the support of others.”
As Ben pivots into a new chapter of his professional life to help improve the world through his Kintanna tech investments, he’s coming up against a different type of challenge, one that probably all of us has felt at some point in our life.
“What I’m loving where I’m at now is coming up against this imposter syndrome.”
Wait, what? He’s loving the imposter syndrome?! For me, when I’ve felt this in my life (which is often, in fact, some right now as I’m typing this), it’s been a source of anxiety and a reason to push myself. But the beautiful thought that Ben has locked onto, because he’s experienced this so many times on such grand scales, is that he’s been able to calibrate imposter syndrome into a GPS signal that he’s going in the right direction.
“Every worthwhile endeavor has been on the other side of that feeling. I’m reframed that as a sign, not as I shouldn't be here, and conversely, as a sign, I’m exactly in the right place. No matter what happens, I’m going to learn.”
It sure feels like Ben is exactly where he needs to be, which is putting his explorer and endurance mindset to perhaps the biggest challenge of humanity, saving this planet.
CLOSING INSIGHTS
Sleep: “As a dad, sleep has become a precious commodity.”
Beginner’s Mindset: “Being in my mid-40s and being a beginner again.”
Ruthlessly Prioritize: When Ben was about to have his now 9-months old son, a friend told him, “There are things you are doing now that you will never do again. But that’s a good thing. Because it forces you to ruthfully prioritize.”
Morning Routine: “I train in the mornings. It sets me up for the day. I’ve physically moved my body. Caffeine is my one vice, so I make some good coffee.”
It’s awesome when one of your heroes lives up to their reputation, and Ben definitely doesn’t disappoint. Genuinely a nice person, perhaps there’s only one thing I’d disagree with him on - coffee is a virtue.
Interview with Explorer, Endurance Athlete, Storyteller Ben Saunders.. and now Climate Tech Investor