Persigue el éxito, disfruta el camino | Victor J Pascual | TEDxAlcarria St

Key Concepts:

• Éxito (Success)
• Camino (The Path/Journey)
• Preparación (Preparation)
• Error (Mistake/Error)
• Perseverancia (Perseverance)
• Incertidumbre (Uncertainty)
• Pasión (Passion)
• Disfrutar (Enjoyment)

1. Introduction & Personal Journey

• Víctor Pascual, an informática engineer, shares his 12-year experience documenting natural spaces in central Spain (Guadalajara, Madrid, Ávila) through hiking.
• He initially aspired to be an architect/urban planner, inspired by his visit to New York. Specifically, he recalls visiting a rooftop on 34th street with a view of the Empire State Building.
• His failure in the university entrance exam for mathematics led him to informática engineering.

2. The Genesis of His Project

• Inspired by a conversation with his father about aging and physical limitations, he combined his web design skills with his love for hiking.
• He started a project with friends to create one hiking route per month near Guadalajara.
• The project escalated to 12 routes in the first year, then 24, then 36, growing alongside social media platforms.
• He documented over 100 natural spaces and experiences.

3. Recognition and Learning

• He highlights a tourism initiative contest in Catalonia sponsored by National Geographic.
• Their innovative approach digitized hiking trails, removing traditional markers and incorporating digital panels.
• They reached the final, learning from technology and strategy experts from Silicon Valley.
• He emphasizes the friendships and relationships formed along the way.

4. The Connection between Hiking and Success: Five Key Principles

• The core argument is that the journey (el camino) is as important as the destination (el éxito).
• He uses hiking as a metaphor for life and success, outlining five principles derived from his experiences.

5. Preparation

• In hiking, preparation involves checking the weather, packing appropriately, and knowing the route.
• Analogously, life preparation involves education, skill development (e.g., public speaking), and strategic planning (MBA).
• He mentions the use of maps for navigation in hiking, relating it to the importance of having a life plan with clear goals for the future.

6. Error

• Getting lost or disoriented is a common occurrence in hiking, requiring retracing steps to correct the course.
• He questions why people fear failure in life, arguing that errors are opportunities for learning and growth.
• "¿Sabéis lo que pasa cuando falláis? Que aprendéis cosas, ¿no?" ("Do you know what happens when you fail? You learn things, right?")

7. Perseverance

• Persistence is key to success, even more so than talent.
• He emphasizes the importance of self-promotion and continuous effort.
• He recounts his experience of documenting routes, enduring harsh weather, and handling criticism on social media.
• He encourages the audience to persevere with their personal projects, suggesting they are attending the talk for a reason.

8. Uncertainty

• Uncertainty is a constant in entrepreneurship and in hiking (unpredictable weather, wildlife encounters).
• He advises accepting the lack of control and being prepared for unforeseen events.
• He references the COVID-19 pandemic as a learning experience.
• He encourages relaxation in the face of uncertainty, recognizing the impossibility of controlling everything.

9. Passion

• He uses Antonio Banderas as an example of someone who exudes passion in his work.
• He describes the grueling experience of early-morning hikes, questioning the motivation behind it.
• The answer lies in the passion for the mountains.
• He urges the audience to bring passion to their work and personal lives, even if they have problems.

10. Enjoyment

• He adds "disfrutar" (enjoyment) as an added point.
• He emphasizes enjoying the process and appreciating the beauty of the natural world encountered during hikes, such as unique fungi and flowers.
• He notes that hiking combines various sciences and arts like biology, geology, history, and photography.
• He also says that you should enrich your life with the people you meet that have nothing to do with what you are doing.

11. Conclusion

• He doesn't guarantee success but suggests that preparation, embracing errors, perseverance, accepting uncertainty, and passion increase the likelihood of it.
• He gives the audience homework: to find their favorite place, route, or disconnect in their daily lives, and ask themselves: "¿estoy realmente disfrutando de mi camino?" ("Am I really enjoying my path?")