INSIGHTS

Travel exposes us to different ways of living, but does it necessarily change how we see the world? A reflection on the assumptions we inherit, the priorities we rarely question, and the relationship between our worldview, identity and character.

Martial arts taught me that rank does not increase the respect a person is entitled to receive; it increases the responsibility to demonstrate it. A reflection on power, restraint, leadership and the test that begins when no one is watching.

One of the oldest stories we tell about ambition is the deal with the devil, given its most famous form in Goethe's Faust. Nobody loses their soul to the devil in one night. They trade it gradually. It's the small compromises, barely noticeable, that accumulate into a life far removed from its original path.

Ambition is one of the few qualities modern culture still praises almost without hesitation. It is almost treated as a virtue in itself, praised in workplaces and celebrated on social media. It is associated with goals, discipline, hunger for success, vision and passion. We are told to be ambitious, to want more, to push further, to reject mediocrity.

A recent Heli-Boarding Day in Canada reminded me of something critical: Preparedness isn't a trait, it's a system. Lessons learnt on leadership credibility, preparedness and why a strong systems matter more than personality when stakes are high.