How Antony Motivated Himself to the Top of the WorldAntony Jinman claims he's ‘just a regular guy', but at the age of 29 his C.V. would suggest otherwise. Antony is a Polar Explorer, Public Speaker and recent Founder of not-for-profit organisation ‘Education through Expedition' which has been endorsed by the United Nations. Amongst his achievements is the recent completion of a 51 day expedition to the North Pole to collect ice and seawater samples for the University of Plymouth's research into past Arctic climate conditions. During the trip he dealt with minus 50oC temperatures, skiing, snow-shoeing and sometimes even swimming to reach the North Pole. I had the opportunity to catch up with him prior to his trip to find out what makes him tick. Tell us a little about your background. AJ:I've always loved the great outdoors - skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, you name it. Following a stint in the Territorial Army, my first career step found me joining the Royal Navy but it wasn't really for me. So I became a tour leader, accompanying groups on adventure holidays around the world. A few years later I gained my qualification as an International Mountain Leader which enabled me to start leading remote expeditions, many of which took me to the Arctic. My love of the Arctic combined with my desire to raise awareness of the changing state of our world has shaped what I do today. I now run a not-for-profit organisation, ‘Education through Expedition', with the aim to inspire and educate children globally about world climate change and to do so through interactive expeditions and related school outreach work. My focus is primarily, but not exclusively, on the arctic regions, its Inuit people, its animals and landscape. How would you describe your approach to life? AJ:You only get one chance at life and I believe in living it to the full. I want to make a worthwhile contribution, to be remembered for something and to give back to my community. I use experiences from my past to help shape my life going forwards, building on successes, learning from mistakes. I don't think there's anything wrong in looking back so long as you're doing so in order to improve your present and future. I believe that everything you will be tomorrow you are already becoming today. What are you focused on at the moment? AJ:I'm about to embark on another expedition to the North Pole which will be used for scientific research, a project by Plymouth University to collect ice samples of algae and analyse them. The aim is to increase our understanding of climate conditions of the past. As with all polar trips it will be physically and mentally demanding so I'm in full-on training mode at the moment to get myself ready. The January cold weather spell in the UK has been helpful, although it still doesn't come close to the minus 40 degree temperatures I'll be facing at the Pole! [Antony reached the North Pole on Earth Day, 22nd April 2010 – read about his success at ] What are you building towards? AJ:2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Britain's greatest polar explorer and a native of my home town, Plymouth. The aim is to revisit his final campsite in Antarctica, where a memorial service will be held for relatives of Scott and the four other men in his team who lost their lives there. Whilst 2012 may seem like some time off, it's important for me to now focus on further increasing my polar experience and also raising awareness of what I'm doing in order to secure the all-necessary funding to continue. What are your biggest challenges and how have you overcome them? AJ:Probably my biggest ongoing challenge is in securing finance for expeditions. I'm just a regular guy, not an academic or a business guru, so figuring out how best to package who I am and what I do in a way that convinces people and corporations to sponsor me has been an uphill struggle – but not of the kind I'm used to! Perseverance is key – trying all possibilities and then thinking of a few more, and never giving up! Getting the support of Plymouth University has been a major step forward in professionalising my activities - bringing me projects, credibility, a small support staff and an office. Also, speaking out about what I'm doing helps. When I have an idea for a next expedition I tell as many people about it as I can. This generates awareness, brings feedback, and, more importantly, makes me feel a certain amount of accountability in following through – this kind of pressure works for me! Where do you get your support? AJ:My friends, family and community are very important to me. I surround myself with people who believe in me and my dreams – and I dream big! There will always be people who doubt me, so I keep my distance from them. If I didn't, I would almost definitely not succeed. Community support is so motivating – simple things like being invited into a school to talk to the kids, receiving a letter of thanks from a local organisation I've met with, or even just someone putting £1 in the donation tin. It makes everything worthwhile. To what extent do you believe you can direct your life? AJ:I think success in life is a mixture of pro-active effort to make things happen combined with a bit of luck here and there. I'll give you an example. Not so long ago I gave a talk about my ‘Education through Expedition' work at an art gallery. There were maybe thirty people there, but it so happened that one of the women in the audience, Sarah Green, was working at the United Nations and had links to the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Vernor Muñoz Villalobos. Sarah liked what I was advocating and brought it to the attention Mr Muñoz Villalobos who sent me a letter of endorsement for my work, providing great publicity and enhancing the credibility of my organisation. Not only this, but Sarah has proved to be an excellent mentor during my efforts to establish the not-for-profit organisation that is in place today. So, just that one talk, possibly the smallest I've ever given, brought tremendous benefit. What, in your view, is the key to success? AJ:Well, I typically define a polar trip as successful if I come back with all my fingers and toes intact! But basic survival aside, I find it key to have my end game firmly and clearly in my mind and to not lose sight of it – for me currently this is the 2012 Scott trip. I have a lot of alone time during my expeditions without phone, laptop or other distractions, which gives me the space to contemplate where I'm at in my life and what I want to do next. Your readers don't necessarily need to go to the North Pole for several weeks to do their own thinking, but just taking a step back from the craziness of life from time to time is so beneficial to your overall wellbeing and sense of direction. Having a firm target, however, doesn't mean rigidity in how you get there; being flexible about the journey opens up new possibilities for success. Sometimes there will be things in life that are outside of your control – take the recession for example, which no doubt played a part in me failing to secure sufficient funding for my first South Pole expedition. Rather than getting down over it, I looked at how I could effectively use the extra time it gave me. I moved my focus onto my educational work and developed my non-profit company. I kept my goal of getting to the South Pole firmly in mind but just accepted that now was not the time. What keeps you motivated? AJ:I'll often break down an overwhelming task into smaller steps that are more manageable. How do you ski 400 miles? By taking the first step. Also, I appreciate the small signs that I'm making a difference – a primary school child asking for my autograph after I've shared my experiences to his or her class; the round of applause at the end of a motivational speaking slot; recognising that things I used to find daunting, like public speaking, can be overcome; knowing that I'm doing something I really enjoy. Simply the journey through life can be so rewarding. What's next? AJ:My upcoming North Pole expedition(now completed at time of going to press)and further trips to prepare myself for the 2012 Scott Centenary Expedition. I'll also continue to spread the word about my ‘Education through Expedition' work to raise the funding needed to continue these projects on climate change and sustainability. A big part of that lies with the Inuit communities I have been visiting over the past three years and will continue to visit. And overall, continuing to strive for making a worthwhile contribution to our world and the people in it. Thanks Antony! To learn more about Antony's work on ‘Education through Expedition' visit his website at And to give some thought as to how Antony's story might inspire you, I noted a few points reflected in his message that you might like to consider...
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