POINT TO PONDER
Nothing succeeds like success.
-Alexandre Dumas
STORY LINE by Rajiv Shah
Jimmy Chin was like many kids his age heading into college; the prodigal son encouraged to live up to the standards set forth by his loving parents. Jimmy thought he had three choices in life: to be a doctor, lawyer, or a businessman. When he went to Carleton College he majored in International Relations and Asian Studies.
Upon graduation he moved to the bay area and was looking for a job. But he admitted he wasn't passionate about it. His mind was on what he fell in love with growing up and that he fostered while in college - skiing and mountain climbing.
So he told his parents that before going to work he would take a year off and go climbing. Chin would later say that he had fulfilled his parents worst nightmare and after a year it did not end. He decided to keep going, keep climbing and in that time lived in national parks out of his car.
He never went to find that job but lived out of his car and continued to climb for a total of seven years. He found a community of climbers that had the same love for the mountains as he did.
Then on one trip a friend of Chin's bought a camera. He was hoping to take some photos on the mountain that he could sell to magazines. Jimmy Chin took one photo on his roll of photos and it was Jimmy's photo that was purchased for the whopping sum of $500.
Jimmy thought that if he could sell just one photo a month, he could conceivably afford to keep climbing comfortably for the rest of his life. So acquired a camera and started photographing his climbing expeditions, capturing climbing culture and the magnificent terrain that he would face.
Jimmy grew from that initial $500 sale and it was National Geographic that came calling for his services. He became a regular contributor to the publication. Next came North Face, Outside Magazine, and Men's Journal. Chin would be voted as one the most eligible bachelor's in People Magazine.
REFLECTION
I wonder how we would look at Jimmy Chin's story if he were not a National Geographic photographer but a young man still living out of the back of his car, having the time of his life climbing mountains.
What's interesting is that it seems Jimmy going after what he wants may only be valid because he's now a National Geographic photographer. That's why his story is being passed on, even why I'm telling it to you. The result now justifies the process. It says something about what we're conditioned to focus on, where we as a society place value.
The point I bring up is if he was still living out of his car, without working with Nat Geo but enjoying his life skiing and climbing, would his life be seen as a waste? Would we be telling his story?
And in our own lives do we pursue that passion for an external result or because is it is internally nourishing? Do we measure ourselves against external standards, and are those standards our own or belong to someone else?
The pursuit of passion is what you would continue to do if there were no accolades or money or reaffirmation from peers. It comes from within. It comes even when others don't support or approve. It challenges the way we are taught things are supposed to go.
What's inspiring is Jimmy Chin did it without any of the results that eventually came later. Seven years living out of a car because he loved what he was doing... And I am guessing he'd still be pursuing his passion even if Nat Geo had not come calling.
