The “Fateful” Horse Ride To The Beach…Goals, Fear and Humiliation (My 100K Walk for Oxfam)

I had to share this story with you!

You may have heard that I just completed my Oxfam walk in the Perth Hills (100KM over 48 hours – our team did it in just under 35 hours) just a couple days ago – and let me tell you – even though I had trained for this for months, this was more of a mental challenge than a physical one!

We are about 27 kilometres into the walk, and it was while we were crossing the Mundaring Weir (which holds the water that feeds Perth and Kalgoorlie 600kms away) that I learned about the story of a man by the name of CY O’Connor…

Over 100 years ago, CY O’Connor had come up with a scheme whereby they would build a pipeline from this region to Kalgoorlie to provide water for the gold mines and the community living there.

The scheme received a lot of criticism and no-one thought it would work. CY O’Connor stuck to his goal and kept working on it. But by the time it was finished, he too doubted whether it would work…

So on the day that it opened, he rode his horse to the beach, and he committed suicide.

I guess he was afraid of the consequences, and the public humiliation if his project failed. Instead – it’s been a major success and the pipeline is still in use today.

Walking across that Weir was a reminder to me that if you have a goal, and you keep working towards it, you will very often succeed!

The concept of feeling like giving up occurring right before the success is, unfortunately, a common one…

You may have heard me say “out of the worlds most successful individuals, every single one of them said their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them.”

How apt that we would be walking across this wall about 27km into the 100km walk?

That thought stayed with me, whenever my legs became tired, I knew that giving up was not an option. I could go slower, I could rest, I could take my time – but give up… NO!

Years ago, I would have thought the solution was to go faster… to push my body to it’s limits… to go, go, go.

Not to stop in case I couldn’t get up again… just keep pushing, keep going.

My strategy this time was completely different:

– Take your time.

– Enjoy the journey.

– Listen to your body.

– Thank it for serving you as you do this walk.

– Nurture your body so it goes the distance.

100km is not just a walk around the park a few times. It’s a mental AND physical event of ENDURANCE.

To walk it you simply put one foot in front of the other. To deal with the knowledge that you’ve done 27km, and still have quite a few more to go before you get to 100km, is another thing entirely!

My goal for this walk was not just to complete it, but be able to actually walk the next day AND have fun!  That meant taking my time – listening to my body – showing gratitude, and nurturing myself. (Not everyone shared this view!)

As I’ve been speaking with those who have shown interest in my African Soul Retreat in December, I’m finding that this is a very common realisation!

The way we approach our goals are not the same as we used to. What used to work for us, just doesn’t anymore. A slower approach is becoming more needed – a nurturing approach – goals reached ‘in your own time’ and not thrashed through like we’ve been taught to do.

This is why the African Soul Retreat will be catering to whatever is necessary for the individual. It will go at the perfect pace, for the individual. It will nurture and support the big, small, business or life goals of the individual.

We are ALL different, and we ALL move at our own pace.

Remember – my goal was NOT to finish the walk in the quickest time. It was NOT a race. For me – my goal was to complete it, and be able to walk the next day.

We ALL have our own individual goals – and reaching THEM (NOT the societal or family/friend pressured goals and expectations) – is what’s so important!!

So my advice to you today is to do as I did on my walk:

– Take your time.

– Listen to your body.

– Thank it for serving you as you journey onward toward your goals.

And…

– Nurture your body so it goes the distance.

Enjoy the rest of your Chooseday!

Kind Regards,

Jill
P.S If you’re interested in my African Soul Retreat in December, please let me know and I’ll send you the details!