I spent four years cycling round the world.
Here are some of the things I learned.
- Setting an outrageous goal is a great start point. You are capable of more than you realise.
- Just do it. The doorstep mile – the very first one – is the hardest of all. Beginning is the only hard thing.
- Refuse to quit, but accept that you might fail. Don’t fear regret, fear not giving it your all.
- We walk alone. There is no point blaming others: we stand or fall by ourselves.
- A bad day is a good day. Embrace the bad times, grin in their face, and know that these are what makes success all the sweeter in the end.
- Be brutally honest with yourself. Don’t believe your own excuses.
- What do you really want? Time is ticking, life is what happens while you’re making other plans. Visit Deathclock to spur you into action.
- Think like a goldfish. Don’t worry about the enormity of your challenge. Just focus on the next tiny thing you need to do to keep moving forwards.
- Healthy mind in a healthy body. Whatever you’re aspiring to do in life, you’ll do it better if you carve out a little time to make yourself fitter and healthier.
- The world is a good place. Boldness and relentless passion will be rewarded.
If you scroll to the bottom of this page, you can read about each one of these in detail, as I’mve serialised my book Ten Lessons from the Road online.
Yes number 9! I’m sporting problems with a disc in my neck that result in numbness and pain and years of treatment without results made me resent any kind of activity. This year I’m tackling that damn problem again and I found a competent doctor who could help and it makes me feel so much better emotionally too!
Couldn’t agree more Alastair
There are two mindsets I couldn’t be more glad to see you fighting against.
1 – “Adventure is for other people”
2 – “It has to be huge expeditions, or nothing” (Therefore in most cases – nothing)
Just get out and do it – and don’t feel ashamed of fitting in microadventures if that’s all you have the time for.
So great to see you getting that message out there!