Thinking, Feeling, Body State, Spirits and Needs (TFBSN)

A great and wise friend of mine, Barry Thorogood, introduced me to the concept of TFBSN as a way of checking in with ones self (it is just as effective when used by team) to be mindful, present and in the moment.

By asking ourselves the following questions, what am I Thinking? What am I Feeling? What is my Body State? How are my Spirits and what Needs do I have at this moment? We gain an awareness of the here and now which can be used to great effect personally and professionally. Give it a go.

The plan

So here we are ready to go high on the mountain that we set out to climb a few weeks ago. There can be no hiding from the fact that My Manaslu is a giant at 8156 meters high and therefore it is not without its objectives dangers. That said, we have mitigated against the ever present dangers by preparing our selves and our equipment fully. We are prepared and ready to go and start working at extreme high altitude.

Working high involves slowly moving higher and higher on the mountain over a number of days/weeks to the point where we have all of the food and equipment in the right place and we are acclimatised sufficiently for a summit attempt. At the moment we are planning a number of rotations that will see us set for a summit bid in the last week of September or first week of October.

Our first rotation will take us to Camp 1 (5700m) for an overnight stop. This is approximately 5 hours from base camp. After spending the night at Camp 1 we will move through the fixed ropes and ladders that have been set by our Sherpa teams towards Camp 2 (6300m). We will have short rest at Camp 2 before returning to Camp 1 for another overnight. The next morning we will head back down to base camp to rest for a couple of days.

The weather forecast is good, our equipment is checked, (re-checked) and ready.

Here’s my TFBSN sat in a tent 4850 metres above sea level - here and now. Mindful and in the moment.

I am thinking that we have done all that is required to start working high. I think that the team is ready and that we are well mixed with enough skills and experience to succeed. I am feeling strong and ready for the next part of our journey high on Mt Manaslu. My spirits are high.

My body state is getting stronger after a bad cold which exacerbated the normal symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), mainly a debilitating headache for me, which everyone is affected by.

My needs are to get higher on the mountain to acclimatise more, ready for our summit attempts in a few weeks time.

So, what are you Thinking? Feeling? What is your Body State? How are your Spirits and what Needs do you have at this moment? Give it a go. Gain an awareness of the here and now which and use that awareness to be your best. The best Mum, Dad, Teacher, Manager, Supervisor, Team Leader, Sports Person, Project manager, Police Officer, Soldier, Judge, Vicar, Salesman or Mechanic. You; here and now the best you can be.

Find out more from our team blog  http://remec-manaslu13.blogspot.co.uk/  a few more photos on there and it's updated by the team and myself on a daily basis.