Pursue Challenges, Gain Victories
Entrepreneurs know that fortune favors the brave. Those people willing to take risks, to push their boundaries, to strive into the unknown unafraid. Those people who continue to seek rich new experiences and who actively pursue challenges; these are the ones who gain immeasurable rewards and successes. This applies personally, professionally, emotionally and spiritually and with every challenge comes new insight.
Artic Adventuring
I recently embarked on a trip that was very illuminating for me; I spent a week in the Arctic seas following Killer whales off the coast of Norway. Illuminating literally; because I got to experience the profound wonder of the Aurora Borealis or better known as the Northern Lights and figuratively because of the stark realisations I came to in this stark Artic landscape. Truths I already knew, but still revelatory, nonetheless. Namely; it pays to challenge yourself. Getting out of your comfort zone is integral to success.
This trip certainly took me out of my comfort zone, in the absolute best way possible. Experiencing the majesty of the Killer whales in their natural habitat was nothing less than magnificent. You can see their dominance, their intelligence and their strength and it felt daunting and astounding to be so close to these apex predators in their rightful territory.
We got to see many different species of animals, more than I could have imagined, and one my personal highlights of the experience, aside from being up close and personal with Killer whales, was my extremely close encounter with two giant Humpback whales. I was privileged enough to have the most intimate encounter as they rose from the depths appearing directly below me and swimming just beyond my arms reach.
The experience as a whole was simply remarkable, and certainly invigorating. I haven’t yet experienced anything quite like it before despite the many other exotic experiential trips I have enjoyed. The people, the environment, the scenery, the weather, the wildlife; it was truly awe-inspiring and something I urge others to experience if they can. I returned with a renewed sense of vigour and have already reaped the benefits of channeling this energy productively.
Chasing Challenges
I have always sought to push my boundaries and take on as many challenges as I can, I truly believe that the more you do the more you know and we all know knowledge is power. With the more physical challenges, the adrenaline surging, heart thundering experiences, these have always inspired a rush of positive and productive aftershocks in myself that they have now become a necessary, dangerous and incredibly rewarding hobby. Sky-diving, snowboarding, mountain climbing, all the other extreme sports have always been challenging but nothing could prepare me for the scope of emotion this particular trip stimulated in me.
It was tough. The weather was terrible and tormenting at times. The physical pain particularly in my feet from having to endure the tremendous cold was at some points quite unbearable however I didn’t let this spoil the trip rather, I felt a sense of power and achievement in bearing the uncomfortable conditions and enjoyed the experience all the more.
Particularly when I got to participate in the Polar Plunge, the bare-skin jump into freezing Arctic seas. That took some nerve, but I embraced the challenge with a smile on my face knowing that I would rise from the water with more knowledge and more power. I wanted to learn and grow from this trip and I have and I cannot wait for my next one. I have settled on Sri Lanka in April to swim with Sperm whales and Blue whales and I will definitely appreciate the warmer waters in the next trip…
Insightful Learnings
I found myself to be the youngest person on board and met a truly wonderful group of successful individuals who I got to share this journey with; people from all over the world with similar mindsets and interests. Our boat and our journey both alive with excitement, creativity and learnings for the whole seven days. The experience has opened not only personal friendships but has created other future business and travel opportunities.
Although the experience I am reflecting on here is an extreme example of stepping out of your comfort zone, you can push yourself in a myriad of ways every single day. Challenging yourself doesn’t always mean scaling a mountain freehand or swimming with man-eating sharks without a cage, it can also be challenging your mindset about something you are being indecisive about, or challenging a behavior in yourself you recognize can be destructive and damaging to your success. It can be taking on a new responsibility, setting a new physical goal; whatever the challenge, I guarantee you will learn something about yourself, for your betterment, whilst you take the challenge on. Remember fortune favours the brave and triumphs will come.
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