Business Lessons I Learned Driving a Rickshaw Across the Himalayas (Part 1)

Traversing by rickshaw through the Himalayas was by no means an efficient journey. Particularly when your rickshaw is weighed down by two fully grown men as well as two weeks’ worth of luggage. It took a really long time to get from A to B and involved a lot of setbacks and many things we didn’t – and couldn’t have – seen coming. Fortunately, this is something we were expecting and we’d planned our trip accordingly. Being prepared for the unexpected meant that when things went awry or took a lot longer than anticipated, it wasn’t the end of the world. We weren’t bothered or stressed or unable to see a way through. Instead, we could keep calm, find a solution and – without sounding like a cliché – enjoy the ride.

Another thing this trip and my experience in business has taught me is that good things also take time. It’s important to get started as soon as you can – armed with a plan – and settle in for the long-haul. On our Himalayan journey, for instance, we chugged along slowly and were constantly being overtaken by more suitable vehicles – stronger, faster four-wheel drives that were equipped for the terrain and got where they were going in half the time or less. In business, you’ll find the same happening with other companies who are seemingly getting there faster. Don’t be disheartened or discouraged – their goals and their strategy are different to yours, but it doesn’t mean these are better or more effective or even more sustainable. As long as you keep your eyes on your own unique goals and utilise your own skills and resources, you’ll achieve everything you want to achieve at your own pace. Our Himalayan adventure – and life – aren’t a race, after all.

On a similar note, it’s important – both when on a dangerous mountain adventure and when running a business – to remember that things are not always going to be smooth sailing. But when things aren’t going as you’d hoped or expected, these are good times to stop and reflect and remind yourself that, actually, you’re achieving something awesome. At one point on our journey, we found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam for three hours at the top of the mountain surrounded by four metre ice walls on either side as the weather became progressively worse. Clouds rose in and it went from sleet to snow to rain. I don’t need to remind you that we were in an open-sided tuk-tuk. 

With nowhere to go, we had to dig our rickshaw into the side of the mountain to make room for a truck to get past. It could have been a grim “why on earth are we doing this?” moment, a dark cloud – pun intended – over our trip, but instead we were able to stop and reflect on everything we’d done that had led up to that moment. We could then laugh at the craziness and then – once the traffic had cleared – head back towards our goal. Because, at the end of the day, in life and in business, a bump in the road or a traffic jam or whatever it may be, is nothing you can’t handle. Learn from these hiccups and achieve success in spite of them. 

For more business lessons learned driving a rickshaw across the Himalayas, keep your eye on MatthewWhyatt.com or follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.