A friend of mine was involved in a large physical challenge recently, one of the first of this type they have done.
We were discussing it in the lead up and they had asked for advice from me based around one or two of the things I did before.
The two things I learned about these types of challenges are as follows:
- You must always remember that you are likely to never be here again.
In the lead up to any of the events I have done and whenever I have managed to get myself in a condition that I feel is appropriate or fit enough, I always imagine that I’ll be able to stay there forever.
I can’t, I won’t, and I don’t.
I go back to my diary entry on the Wednesday before the Outlaw Triathlon in 2016. I was sat in a Costa Coffee with Simon, my coach, just talking about what might happen on the Sunday and what we were trying to do. He left and I wrote in my diary that it was the best I had ever felt about training, the best I had ever felt about fitness, the best I had ever felt about myself. I promised myself that I would never let that go, I would never let it slip, and I would retain this level of engagement and involvement. I didn’t.
So, whenever I do these events, I always get to the point in the middle where I think “what the f**k am I doing here?” and then I remind myself that I will probably never be here again and it keeps me going.
- The second piece of advice was to take a Horcrux.
Something significant, or insignificant, something innate that you carry with you throughout the event.
Something you can touch and feel and have afterwards.
One of the most important things about these physical events for anyone who has never wanted to do it, is that it helps you to find out a lot about yourself deep down. When it gets really difficult and really hard and you wonder why you’re there.
It’s good to remind yourself of what that was like afterwards.
It’s good to remind yourself what you thought about.
The little token does that.
My office is full of these things as I look around now – little Horcruxes.
Little bits and pieces of my soul that I gave away (in the best possible way)
For both of these pieces of advice, I am not sure you have to do a physical event. I think you can use them whenever you want.
Blog Post Number - 4278
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