Last week I shared the story of Dieter Zander and how his life changed drastically in the blink of an eye. I published that post on Saturday, then, on Sunday, I learned that Scott Dinsmore, the guy whose Live Your Legend website inspired me to start a blog, had died in a freak climbing accident on Mt. Kilimanjaro. He was 33.
His last post was titled, “I’m Going off the Grid: Therapy for an Addicted & Over-Connected World.” It focused on the importance of taking an internet sabbatical once in a while to be more a part of the real world. In a strange and kind of eerie way, it was an appropriate title for what certainly was not intended to be a final post, but ended up being just that. He signed off with these words, “Give life to the pause, and the pause will offer you even more in return.”
His death is obviously a tragic reminder of how fleeting life can be and I’m feeling pretty bummed about it. In some ways that seems a little strange to me because I didn’t know him personally. I’ve found myself wondering what it was about him that made such an impact on me in a really short time. Here are a few thoughts:
He communicated in a genuine and inspirational way – There was something about his writing that made me feel like we were friends and that spurred me to action. Obviously he got me to try something I had never thought of before. I looked forward to his regular emails, which were like mini pep talks. It was like having a life coach in my in-box a couple of times a week.
He believed that everyone had something unique to contribute to the
world and that we all have something worth sharing with others.
He helped people – His philosophy and the point of his site was “the world would be an altogether different place if we all did work that actually mattered to us.” He put all of his effort into inspiring and equipping people in very practical ways to make a change in their lives and a difference in the world.
He was generous – I originally signed up for his newsletter figuring there would be some interesting info but also assuming in the end there would be a sales pitch where I’d be asked to sign for a paid membership to receive some sort of “premium content.” That never happened. He offered some classes, (even they were not that expensive) but, for the most part, he just gave stuff away and shared his thoughts because he wanted to help people.
He challenged himself and tried new things – The trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro was one of those personal challenges. He knew that pushing himself, especially physically, would translate to success in other areas of his life and would keep him motivated.
I think we can all learn something about the way Scott lived. Below are links to some tributes from people who knew him personally. I’d encourage you to check them out to learn more about the great impact Scott had on so many people.