Saray’s success at high altitude has helped change the narrative about who belongs on the mountains and whose stories are told. In this Q&A with Saray, she speaks about how we can become more mindful, being true to ourselves and realising our purpose.
You seem to be a very mindful person. How can others become more mindful, in an effort to improve on their own mindset, see what’s important and discover how they can make a difference?
It's about me time. About going for a hike and not worrying about the summit but looking at everything else around you. Enjoying the journey, rather than focusing on the summit. When we’re mindful about what’s around us, we think about ways we can help, for example, the people in Kwa-Zulu Natal that are struggling because of the floods.
Hiking is an especially good way of removing oneself from daily distractions. For me during a hike, I find myself in the position where I’m listening to my body and to everything around me. Being out in nature helps put things into perspective, like seeing birds who live so freely, without fear – or bank accounts – and survive happily. It helps us see how much of a speck we are in the grander scheme of things - and how much we worry about the mundane. If I’m stuck with an issue at work, for example, I’ll often come back after a hike with a new kind of clarity that helps me see a way around it.
“My story is a reminder that it doesn’t matter who we are or what the world thinks of us – or how many times we might fail – if we keep going, we’ll eventually have our time in the sunshine.”
And if I’m doing a more intense climb, on Everest, for example, what I enjoy most is that I can’t focus on anything else besides what’s happening right in front of me. Climbing requires that I pay careful attention to what’s going on around me, so I can hear, for example, if a glacier cracks. Every step requires that I’m present, and once you experience that, it’s hard not to bring those lessons with you back into the real world.
You present the image of a kind of modern-day superhero. Do you see yourself in that light?
I believe we are all superheroes. We are just at different stages of realising it and manifesting that in our lives. We are all uniquely extraordinary, each with our own strengths and reason for being here. The way to tap into that is to figure out how to shine as our own person, rather than striving to be like someone else. My hope is that I can help others realise this; stretch my hand out to lift them up and show them that they, too, have that potential in them to be a superhero.
How would you suggest someone hang on to your empowering messages from My Journey to the Top, and use them to lift off into something greater?
I hope that people can find their own story in the book, and come to realise that we don’t have to feel hopeless. People often only talk about their successes, and it can be easy for the people to lose hope when they think that something is unachievable. My story is a reminder that it doesn’t matter who we are or what the world thinks of us – or how many times we might fail – if we keep going, we’ll eventually have our time in the sunshine. The key is to find your direction and just keep stepping.
My Journey to the Top of the World by Saray Khumalo is out now.
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Extract: Start with Why by Simon Sinek