“If you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space,” says mountaineer Jim Whittaker in the opening to a stunning short film titled “A Life Well Lived.”
In the moving piece, Whittaker — who was the first American to reach the top of Mt. Everest — gives some valuable life lessons, including this one: Taking chances is what makes us better.
“Being out on the edge, with everything at risk, is where you learn and grow the most,” he says.
The documentary-style video, which was directed by Seattle-based cinematographer Eric Becker and incorporates archival footage from Whitakers’ 1963 trip up the word’s tallest mountain, is full of similar nuggets of wisdom.
Click the video above to watch.