Okay Universe…you’ve had my back for a little while now and long may it continue with what I have planned. This isn’t a plea for money or sponsorship, this is me sharing. So relax, read on and share with any friends that make up your special Universe. Consider this your que to flick the kettle on…
News Just In
This week I have committed to support the making of an eco-adventure documentary as part of an expedition team. The expedition will be a self-propelled bike-packing adventure of over 1000 miles across land and sea. It begins at the tall, sandstone cliffs of the Orkney Isles, just off the northern coast of mainland Scotland and ends at the Scilly Isles, just off the southern tip of Cornwall. The team is nothing short of epic, seeking to answer this question – How do we regenerate our green spaces and national parks at scale? https://pedal4parks.co.uk/
Friends and colleagues never cease to wonder how I get myself into these situations (I often ponder this myself). You could say it started when I deliberately started exploring the power of saying ‘Yes’ as a default rather than 'No'. What I will say is that it’s not for the faint hearted. In fact, it’s both terrifying and amazing in equal measure. That said, I’m becoming a big fan of ‘Yes’ along with ‘and’ instead of ‘or’ wherever possible. For me “squeezing the juice out of the pulp of life” is more than just a saying, it’s a mindset and it’s shaping my reality in ways I couldn’t even have imagined.
Proceed with Caution
A Yes mindset is a powerful thing. Personally, it has led me to cross paths with lots of amazing people (like you, reader!) – that have each provided opportunities for growth and expansion. And while probability tells us that just as many things could go wrong as they do right, the value is in the journey. Let me say it isn’t quite as easy as simply saying “yes” to things and it does require some strategy. However, I’m not talking about the clinical business plan with a list of clearly defined KPI’s and metrics here, instead it’s a clear understanding of a direction of travel, and the reasons for it. Simple, right?
My feeling is that businesses and people alike get fixed on this notion of a goal, an end-point or a clearly defined destination. “I will be happy when I get the…*insert job / house / promotion / boy / girl here*”. I’ve definitely been in this mental trap. You could say it’s trained into us through every step of our education system and then cranks up a couple of gears as you enter the world of work. In school, success is defined by passing exams that get you ‘good grades’ that in turn, get you a ‘good job’. If you are lucky enough to get said job, it’s likely that your success criteria is then defined on your behalf by your employer, rather than by you. If you are lucky enough to love the work you do, I’d wager it’s by design rather than by some happy accident.
Exiting the Hamster Wheel
My point is simply that I’ve spent far too long treading on the “hamster-wheel-of-doom”, suppressed by processes or other people’s lack of imagination. Stepping off the wheel has taken a great deal of mental effort along with the challenge of setting my own direction of travel. I suspect I’m not alone here and you may be one of the many people that are clinging on to life by the fingernails, struggling to think past surviving tomorrow, let along entertaining big scary questions. While I don’t have all the answers, I do have a little bit of my experience to share.
Talking of big scary questions, here’s one of my favourites: what does the world most need that you are most uniquely positioned to provide? Truthfully, 5 years ago this question would have probably just pissed me off so I understand if you’re sat there, rolling your eyes! There was a time where I certainly wasn’t thinking about global problems, and I didn’t feel I was uniquely positioned to provide very much at all – I was just surviving. Fast forward the tape a couple of years and I have co-founded 3, triple-bottom line (people, planet, profit) businesses with much more cooking up behind the scenes. Moreover, I am proud to work amongst the most extraordinarily diverse and talented team of technical and creative thinkers imaginable.
The Joy of the Adventure
You get into life only what you are brave enough to ask for. I believe this to be true in the main. So recently my focus has shifted firstly, towards seeking better questions and secondly towards spending time with those curious souls brave enough to seek the answers (by no means a comfort zone conversation). And this leads me back to the most recent adventure I’ve said ‘Yes’ to. Helping make this documentary seems like a perfect opportunity to spend time immersed in nature, surrounded by like-minded people that also ask big, scary questions. And while we go into the expedition with the intention of seeking some answers, we may not find any at all. The chances of triggering a revolution overnight are slim, but what it may do is trigger some thought or action down the line from someone who has been inspired or empowered to step off the hamster-wheel-of-doom and make an impact. It just may be from their uniquely positioned vantage point.
I can’t always control the outcome so why not invest in the journey. As long as the direction of travel is aligned with what I hold dear; preservation of green spaces, nature, health and wellbeing, equality and social justice, sustainable development and sustainability, then I’m all in. Living my purpose…and content(ish).
Living your purpose is the ultimate act of self-love #livelifeyellow.
Here’s to you living your purpose
Here’s to now!
With maximum enthusiasm,
A
#LifeLifeYellow #pedal4parks #protectgreenspaces #orkneytoscilly
