By now you may have already started setting your goals for 2013. Naturally there’s the usual lose weight, give up something, be a kinder person etc. But what if you dared to dream beyond the usual? What if this year was the year you achieved something huge, something you’ve always thought of doing but dare not consider? What then I ponder …
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| Charley Boorman thanks to Compass Expeditions |
Through my work I’ve been fortunate to meet a number of business owners, entrepreneurs and great achievers … all brilliant goal setters. Three of these people who have influenced me greatly are Ian Usher, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. I’ve already written about Ian’s latest goal of buying an island in the Caribbean (see link below), and with Charley arriving in Australia in a few days, I found myself pondering what I’d learnt from these examples over the years.
But first, this just in … how does Charley feel about his upcoming rides in Australia?
‘Riding across Australia’s beatuiful landscapes will be heavenly. I’ll be riding my trusty BMW GS Adventure with a group of like-minded people. A recipe for fun and adventure – can’t wait.
It was thanks to Ewan, Charley, Russ and the Long Way Round (LWR) team that I got off the couch when my partner passed away a few years ago.
Many hours were spent watching Long Way Round, their first big adventure riding motorbikes around the world. A glitch with a BBC feed meant that we in Australia, could watch Ewan and Charley live online. I’d watch into the night until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore then, breakfast in hand, I’d race to the computer in the morning to make sure they were okay. Without that incentive I doubt I would have got out of bed for several months.
At the time I was also trying to find sponsors for a national caricature award we were setting up to honour my partner who was a cartoonist/caricature artist (the Michael Collins Caricature Awards). Watching the LWR team work through similar issues, albeit on a far grander scale, was incredibly heart-warming and enough to keep me from giving up. As a result the Awards ran for four years raising a descent amount for The Heart Foundation.
Since then the LWR team have backed this up with Long Way Down, and Charley has taken it further entering the Race To Dakar and launching a series called By Any Means. I was fortunate to watch the BAM team ride into Sydney at the end of one adventure. Even more fortunate to be allowed into the LWR warehouse in London, and invited to the BAM wrap party in Sydney … what a treat, and certainly far greater than any goal I could ever have set!!!
Anyway, this memory has me pondering about five things I’ve learnt about goal setting.…
Dream big
Sure it doesn’t get much bigger than riding a motorbike around the world or buying a Caribbean Island, but in my own small world I never thought I’d help run a national caricature award that would last for four years. Nor did I think I’d write a book, or a blog that’s read in many of the places Ewan and Charley visited. So I’d urge you to think big, you never know where it can end up.
No man is an island
One of the biggest things I had to learn was that you can’t do it all yourself. What’s surprising is the number of people who, on hearing of your goal, step in to help. This still amazes me, and makes me regret all those times I tried to go it alone.
Skills and Personalities
As with most ventures it is crucial that you find people with the right skills to help you, but more importantly the right personalities. You want people who will support you, but also point out when you’ve stepped over the mark. Having a team of ‘yes men’ will only see you going around in circles.
Boy scouts
Remember the Boy Scouts motto of ‘Always Be Prepared’, or is that the Mounties I always get my uniforms confused? Either way once you’ve got a plan outlined, leave it alone for a while, then come back and re-plan. Make sure the plan is detailed enough to keep you on track but flexible enough to accommodate unplanned events, as they usually provide the greatest insights.
Have fun along the way
Watching Ian, Charley, Ewan, Russ and others battle the elements and then giggle afterwards, cemented in my mind the need to always aim for a positive attitude.
Charley Boorman arrives in Australia, with his mate Billy Ward, in the next few days to lead two motorcycle tours in February and March.
“We are very excited to have Charley lead for both these rides” says Compass Expeditions co-founder Mick McDonald.
“Both Charley and Billy are great personable guys that are good fun to be around and to have them leading some rides for us is very exciting, it will be a fantastic experience for all involved” continues Mick.
Both tours are 10 days in length; one ride will start in Sydney and travel via the Blue Mountains, Broken Hill, Flinders Ranges and the Great Ocean Road before culminating in Melbourne. The second ride will begin in Melbourne and cross to Tasmania before crossing back to Melbourne and riding the spectacular Victorian High Country and the Snowy Mountains.
If that’s not enough, for anyone who watches MotoGP, Chris Vermeulen will also be joining in for a day or two.
For further info please visit www.compassexpeditions.com or www.charleyboorman.com
Post on Ian Usher: Ian Usher post
All the best for your goal setting. I draw immense inspiration from watching other people achieve their goals, so if you’ve got an interesting one planned please let me, and The Ponder Room readers, know so we can follow along.
6 Comments
Thank you for sharing your experiences which have given you a philosophy on life which we all should take on board.
Your accurate assesment of the need to share ones problems and the value of true friends is probably the most important lesson we can learn in life.
Keep up your oustanding blogs and good luck for the futured dx
Thanks dx, yep …sharing, friends and …chocolate, never underestimate the value of chocolate in helping you reach your goals too.
Chocolate or a good winedx
indeed
Great tips to consider. Lovely indeed.
Thanks hope they help