1. If you fully commit to something you want to do, or something that was just an idea, even if it is a bit crazy but totally practical, you should be able finish it. Get through day one and you will be fine. It is about saying, time to do this. No more waiting. You are now in the realm of action. Thought – idea – action.
2. Having a plan helps in the beginning. It gives an idea of
what is to be accomplished. If the plan seems overwhelming which many times it
is, break it up into sections. Remember this is still the planning phase but it
can also be the very first step towards your goal so it is as important as
applying the steps outlined in the plan you are working on right now. Smaller
chunks are more manageable. Bring the focus to achieving what needs to be done
for each day, rather than being stuck or overwhelmed with having the entire
thing done. If you finish what needs to be done each day, then one day you will
be finished entirely. Promise. If it is something you are passionate about,
then it’s already done. All that’s left for you now is to enjoy the process of
joining the dots.
3. Have a starting day. This creates that sense of
commitment, a feeling of no going back now. Have people know and if you want,
ask for them to keep encouraging you from time to time. This is what friends
are for. The end date which is also important is many times related to the
project at hand. Some goals need fixed end dates if there are deliverables that
need handing over. Other projects can have dates that become more flexible as
the project is worked on. This is more regarding to my own adventure where I
had an idea of finishing in 3 months but I was open to 4-5 months tops. This
goal was tied to finances and weather and all sorts of other silly things but
they fell away as the journey progressed. At one point I had to admit that I
will just get home when I get home. That’s it. I know it would be within a
certain time frame so why worry or want something that actually represents the
end of your journey. Stick to enjoying the journey right now. That’s the most
important thing. As long as I keep moving forward, I will finish when I finish.
4. Sometimes a step within the greater plan will change. If
it doesn’t ‘alter’ the goal that much then it’s probably what should be done.
Don’t resist too much. Hell, surrender completely and follow where it leads. This
can be seen as something acting from the outside now leading you. Intuition,
gut, god, whatever it is. Maybe it is what is already deep inside leading you
on a path from a truer source other than your mind.
5. The diverged path will eventually lead back to the
original plan somehow but now you have gained even more experience than had you
stuck firmly to the original plan layout.
6. It’s ok to be alone. Many times we are and that is
natural. The ‘feeling’ of loneliness is worse than just being alone. Don’t
confuse the two. Learn to be okay with who you are first. If you don’t know who
that is, find out. It’s never too late and sometimes this can only come from
when you are alone. Plus don’t worry too much. You won’t be alone all the time
anyways. I mean this planet has billions of life forms on its surface. Even now
there are millions of little bacteria and things crawling all over you right
now. Heck, if you alone. Talk to them. Or maybe not. Im still in a process of
finding out who the hell I am. Apparently I’m a non-physical entity that is
already perfect and without fault, as is every other thing on this planet.
7. Mistakes and set-backs can happen. This is life. Things
do not always go to plan. Heck, it wouldn’t be an adventure if everything
worked out accordingly hey?! This is just another opportunity for you to learn
to do something to overcome the fault. If it’s practical, deal with it
immediately if you have the right resources. Before even undertaking your whole
endeavor it also helps to at least prepare for anything that may happen in
order to alleviate any stress when something does go wrong so that it can be
dealt with in a controlled way. If it’s something that can’t be undone, but the
project can still go ahead, don’t waste time whining about what is lost. You
waste time; you waste energy, so drop it. And drop it completely. Accept what
happened, happened and move forward. You will know when you have dropped
something completely as there is a feeling of freedom as you go forward. It no
longer holds you back with any kind of baggage.
8. Fixing the problem builds confidence. So if you prepared,
get right in there and get it done. If you do need help, ask for it. There is
no shame in asking for help if the problem is totally beyond your capacity. And
many times it’s in your best interest as well as others involved in the project
to get the help as quickly as possible. Sometimes it may not come immediately
but keep trying and it will. And always be grateful for any that you receive.
9: There will be different stages of energy throughout the
plan. Initially, there is a lot of energy in the beginning and depending on how
long it takes to achieve the goal, this energy can and will decrease. This is
natural. Don’t fight it and beat yourself up thinking that you have lost the
drive. The drive is there, it’s just that the pace is a little different. You
have to slow down. You have to rest. Give yourself that opportunity to actually
do that. And reward yourself from time to time. Not just at the end of the
goal.
10. The world is full of amazing people. People, who if you
just ask, will help you out more than you can imagine. Sometimes you will be
rejected but keep persevering. And like Isaac Ntamo said, ‘Everyone is
somebody.’
11. It’s ok and natural to ask for someone’s opinion
regarding something if you feeling unsure about something but more often than not,
it doesn’t actually apply to how you will handle said situation. Everyone is
different. What may be good for some is bad for others and vice versa.
Sometimes the opinion or information can’t actually even be applied as the
circumstances are quite different. Therefore the opinion doesn’t matter or just
adjust the opinion accordingly. Remember opinion is opinion, not fact. You will
experience the experience for yourself and therefore have your own true
experience regarding what you wanted the opinion for.
Tying in with the above statement, things are never as bad
as what you make them out to be. This I realized regarding the opinions I got
of roads from people who had never really ridden them before on a bicycle. The
opinion was tied to being in a car. This makes the whole thing different. The
only way to experience how it is, is to experience it yourself. And as I
mentioned, it’s usually never as bad as they said or you thought it would be. This
is something that I think if many of us admitted to ourselves right now, would
ease a lot of suffering as well as give us the courage to just experience
something, rather than letting an image which is a composite of other people’s
opinions anyway dictate what is, which is completely false. Your opinion is
only valid in anyway if you have experienced what you are talking about and
only to yourself anyways.
12. The divergent path many times may reward you. Acknowledge
this when it happens. And acknowledge your guts to actually listening and going
through with the detour.
13. Setbacks often viewed as negative while you are
experiencing them are more often than not, setting you up for something even
better down the line. This really only works if you have dropped any negativity
regarding the set back. If you have handled it, it’s over. If it’s still being
handled, shift into a positive attitude and get it done so that it can be over.
It’s what needs to be done, because why, because it’s happening. I only learned
this after the first month of the trip in hind sight, but once I realized it, I
couldn’t help but notice all the wonderful things that happened as a result of
something ‘negative’ at the time.
14. Sometimes, a situation will seem like slog. These could
happen at any time, whether you are in a good mood or bad mood and anytime of
the day. Sometimes they could even last the whole day. These are times when
things are out of your control completely. They happen. Natural disasters,
power failures, traffic jams, stormy windy weather etc. You cannot fight these
things in the moment. The harder you fight, the quicker you tire out and lose. Adjust
yourself to the situation. Go with the flow. The thing you were doing worked
while the situation was acceptable at that moment. But the moment it changed,
with you still wanting to do the same thing, suffering happened. Stop, accept and
adjust. Or suffer. It’s that simple.
15. Many times you will be rewarded for your hard work. In
my case, having many up hills, gave me just as many down hills to sit back and
let gravity do all the work. It was amazing and it made the slog totally worth
it in that moment. Tied to this is also the fact that what I feared in many
cases actually turned out to be quite enjoyable. Case in point, the Wild Coast.
Plenty of hills and gravel roads, but the feeling of adventure just felt more
real if you understand me. It wasn’t just long stretches of tar roads which I
have to admit I got bored of quite quickly, but the road was always changing so
I had to be aware and adjust accordingly all the time. It was just action all
the way.
16. Make sure you have the right seat at the right angle. Unless you like pain.
17. Dont take a book like War and Peace with you when doing such an adventure.
18. Make sure you got plenty water. Gotta keep hydrated no matter what you do.
19. And music. Always have some killer tunes to give you that energy and to fill you with emotion.
20. Enjoy the journey. It's what really counts.
17. Dont take a book like War and Peace with you when doing such an adventure.
18. Make sure you got plenty water. Gotta keep hydrated no matter what you do.
19. And music. Always have some killer tunes to give you that energy and to fill you with emotion.
20. Enjoy the journey. It's what really counts.
