Nobody else is the authority on your potential. You are the only one who defines your limits. - Ben Saunders, polar explorer. I'M TYPICALLY NOT ONE for motivational quotes. I don't have any cat posters hanging in my office. I don't go out of my way to find inspiration. However, the quote above stood out to me when I heard it. The person relaying that wisdom, Ben Saunders, is a polar explorer who was a guest speaker at last year's Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) Annual Meeting in Kohler, Wis. Saunders is known for skiing solo to the North Pole, and for his human-powered Antarctic journey (on foot) from Ross Island to the South Pole and back. At the OPEI meeting, Saunders shared stories of his adventures, and relayed the lessons he has learned from facing such harsh and demanding physical and mental endeavors. Saunders is not an OPE industry expert, yet, amid my copious notes from throughout the meeting, his story and his quote stood out to me (my apologies to the other speakers). Following last year's meeting, I continued to follow Saunders as he blogged during his latest expedition - an attempt to cross Antarctica solo (you can read his posts at bensaunders.com). It is not rare for organizers of industry events to include motivational speakers from outside the industry as part of conference proceedings. Through the years at various events, I have had the pleasure of listening to artists, photographers, actors, a Hall of Fame baseball player, and, yes, a polar explorer. Attendees know these folks aren't going to have insight into outdoor power equipment, and they might not even share tips for running a business. There are usually other speakers at the same events who can speak to such topics - or at least experts who can provide economic or legislative forecasts.
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