Lessons of the Lost: Finding Hope and Resilience in Work, Life, and the Wilderness

The wilderness can be unforgiving and dangerous, yet fill our souls with awe and wonder. It can overwhelm us with beauty and stun us with fear, lift our spirits to the highest highs and send us crashing to the floor of creation. The wilderness is a classroom where we learn to survive, thrive and sometimes die.

At some point in our lives, we have all been lost in a wilderness of some kind-whether literal or metaphorical-without any direction on how to find our way back home. Some have faced survival decisions in community disasters or personal trauma. Some have been lost in work, wandered in careers and professions. Some have been lost in relationships, crippling addictions, health challenges, or grief.

Scott Hammond, a volunteer search and rescuer, knows that people who have been lost-in the wilderness, in the workplace, or in life-can teach us how to go beyond survival and thrive, regardless of the nature of our personal wildernesses. Through his experience rescuing others and real-life stories, Hammond provides valuable lessons designed to help those who are lost. These narratives communicate that small things matter, that no one is ever lost alone, and that movement creates opportunity.

Being lost is not a geographic problem, but a mental and spiritual problem. Lost people may be deprived of the basics of food, water, and shelter, but they are first deprived of meaning. Restoring that meaning is the first step toward hope, and hope is the beacon that leads you home.

Scott C. Hammond, PhD, is a Professor of Management in the Jon M. Hunstman School of Business at Utah State University. Accompanied by his golden retriever, he works with Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs supporting search and rescue teams in the western United States. Scott is the author of over thirty academic journal articles and book chapters and has appeared on numerous talk radio and television programs.