When you don’t have any experience, do it anyway
Sullivan McLeod and surfboard
One of the gifts of aiming big is that sometimes, you actually reach your goals. It’s all too easy to fall into the idea that if you’ve never done something before, well, then, you probably can’t do it at all, or at least not right away. You’ve never lived abroad? Best not to jump into it; maybe start with living in a different state. Can’t run? Stay out of triathlons.
Or, you could throw caution to the winds, and aim for the sky. Sullivan McLeod, an author, traveler, and sometime bookstore worker in the small Australian town of Margaret River (which is where I met him), is going on a rodeo tour in the southern US…despite never actually having ridden a horse until recently, and never having been trained in rodeo at all.
Similarly, the participants in the North Pole Marathon do include some longtime runners…but also include a 14-year old girl (and her dad) and a Romanian who wants to become the first to play drums at the North Pole. Some of them just woke up one morning and decided: I want to do this. And they did.
There’s that old platitude that says: If you believe you can, or you believe you can’t, you’re right. What might YOU do, if it didn’t seem impossible?
March 9th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
I’m looking forward to hearing you speak in Lawrence on March 30. We encouraged our blog readers in our most recent post to attend your presentation as a way to jump start their creative ideas. Your vagabonding lifestyle is an inspiration to many, even if we aren’t able to pursue it as a full-time lifestyle.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:36 am
I don’t have health care experience, but watching footage of Haiti, Chile and other natural disaster areas, I’ve contemplated getting on a plane, showing up at a clinic, and asking what an extra pair of hands can help with. When my kids are grown, that’s what I plan to do.
March 10th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Gotta love Henry Ford’s quote! There’s so much to experience in life. Living in another state can prepare you to live in another country. When you travel to another country and like it, consider living there. Do you homework and make sure you have the paperwork in order. You could begin to look for a job or just pickup and leave.
I visualize myself living in a flat in the U.K., either in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bath, or the London area. Climbing Mount Everest or some other mountain would be fun. Bunging jumping, hot air balloon ride, zip lines, jumping out of an airplane, etc…are also in my future.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Rodeo rules-Good for Sullivan! I rode bulls for two seasons- it’s addicting!
March 11th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Good for Sullivan McLeod!
What would I do? I think almost nothing is impossible, so whatever I want to do I attempt.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:06 am
Yeah, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that the impossible can definitely be possible if you just give it a try. Kudos to EVERYONE who comes up with an idea…and then just does it.
Hey, Cathy, if you’re trying to reach Rolf directly, I don’t know if he reads all the comments, so it might be worth emailing him at rolf@rolfpotts.com if you want him to get your messasge!