Summiting Kilimanjaro!

Toyota ambassador Cam Calkoen recently pushed himself to climb Mt Kilimanjaro – read his inspiring story.

“A month ago I was standing closer to the stars and moon than ever before and experiencing the types of views normally seen from within a plane. Climbing the tallest free-standing mountain in the world to eventually summit Mt. Kilimanjaro was one thing, the universal gems from a true ‘experience of a lifetime’ was another.

Say yes to more: In November 2018 my friend Mike Allsop planted the seed for us to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I'd never done anything like this, the year was going to be busy, how would I prepare? How would my body react? There were lots of reasons to say no but the few reasons to say yes were awesome!

Tailor motivation: I had to find a way to stay motivated and walking wasn't it, neither really was the idea of summiting a mountain. What did motivate me and what is part of my dream was connecting people and creating experiences so within hours of saying yes, I invited 20 people who inspire me. 19 said yes.

Rise above the low: Day three and seeing people not make it to the top while I'm battling altitude sickness myself gave me one of the my lowest days ever! At times I thought the vomiting, pounding headache and grape sized lungs were going to beat me. I had to dig deep to answer the question "Do I quit, cave into the challenge, fear the unknown or become a champion? A champion of myself". We can ask ourselves this with any challenge.

Gain new perspectives from the unknown: If I can climb the tallest free-standing mountain in the world without being a climber and within seven months of deciding to do it, what can I do with the 17 years’ experience I have as a speaker? I now have a new beginning within an old experience. Are you feeling stale? Seeking a fresh perspective? Wanting to learn something new? Maybe it's time to find your ‘Mt. Kilimanjaro’.

The opportunity to climb and contributing mind-set to say YES came about after bungee jumping, sky diving, skiing. Why I've started doing these things, things that once seemed ‘scary’ or even ‘Impossible’ is that sometimes our day-to-day dreams / projects / life can feel much the same ‘scary’ and even ‘impossible’ but it's often through the process of attempting the seemingly impossible that the most extraordinary outcomes are achieved.”