In 1975, Junko Tabei became the first woman to summit Mount Everest. This four-feet-nine-inches tall Japanese woman went on to scale the highest peaks on seven continents by 1992. Junko Tabei presently aims to climb the highest mountains of every country in the world. Is that not a daring feat? Is it not challenging goals that motivate us to become the best that can be? Her accomplishments have inspired over 100 women to summit Everest and she also teaches us all how:

1) Size can be misleading.  This woman proved she could be small yet, mighty when many people might've assumed her size wouldn't be an asset to serious climbing. Note "size isn't really everything."

2) What we do doesn't make us who we are. As a housewife, Junko Tabei was originally stereotyped. People saw her as capable of doing only what she appeared to be doing in society. History teaches us that she actually had other plans. She decided her capacities were defined within. You also define what consitututes your identity.

3) We take routes we have planned before. Whenever we look at images and nurture dreams, we give our attention to ideas and experiences before we make them happen. Tabei reminds us how we envision what we desire to perceive and then, we simply attract the attitude that makes our dreams possible. No thing or opportunity suddenly appears. You prepare for it with your mind, body and soul.

4) Everything happens in the right sequence. Each time Junko Tabei hits another climbing milestone, it prepares her for her next achievement. Each thing we do in life is also preparing us for something we don't yet foresee. You choose to see reality you're ready to see, but not before its time. We would all benefit from understanding that the continuity of learning never stops.

5) Regular words may fall short to describe your emotions. As you find courage to step outside your comfort zone, as you open yourself up to experiences that expand all you are, then words may fall short of adequately describing how you feel or what you perceive. Junko Tabei teaches us sensations are experiences that aren't always meant to be translated through words. You sense your own success.