Motivational bits and bobs

When I have told people about my plans most of them have laughed at me or teased me, insisting I won't be able to do it. I think this is a testament to how unlike me this trip is, by myself in a foreign country and walking 500 miles along an ancient pilgrimage route. I am completely out of my comfort zone but then I remember this image which I came across some time ago and it is completely true. I think there is great enjoyment to be had from being scared, out of your depth and pushed to your limits.

The rest all bare the same message really, start living your life. Easy to do in my situation, I have nobody that depends on me, no wife, no kids, no job etc so it is easy for me to just drop everything and live a little. Best for me to take advantage of it whilst I have the chance. Click on images to see them bigger.

And finally an image that I have been describing to a lot of people as it made me laugh. It is taken from the film 'Mr. Bean's Holiday' which I personally think is fantastic but I am a Mr. Bean fan. I do get likened to Mr. Bean which isn't great but I do feel that this particular scene captures how my travels are likely to proceed.

The following are just a few quotes from books, films and the internet which I liked. Felt they were all relevant to me in some way. Unfortunately I don't have the sources for a few which is bad I know, so I apologise for that.

"Find hard work you love doing. If I could offer my eighteen-year-old self some real career advice, I’d tell myself not to base my career choice on other people’s ideas, goals, and recommendations. I’d tell myself not to pick a major because it’s popular, or statistically creates graduates who make the most money. I’d tell myself that the right career choice is based on one key point: Finding hard work you love doing. As long as you remain true to yourself, and follow your own interests and values, you can find success through passion. Perhaps more importantly, you won’t wake up several years later working in a career field you despise, wondering “How the heck am I going to do this for the next 30 years?” So if you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop. You’re on to something big. Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions."

"Be who you were born to be. You must follow your heart, and be who you were born to be. Some of us were born to be musicians—to communicate intricate thoughts and rousing feelings with the strings of a guitar. Some of us were born to be poets—to touch people’s hearts with exquisite prose. Some of us were born to be—to create growth and opportunity where others saw rubbish. And still, some of us were born to be or do whatever it is, specifically, that moves you. Regardless of what you decide to do in your lifetime, you better feel it in every fiber of your being. You better be born to do it! Don’t waste your life fulfilling someone else’s dreams and desires."

"The single-mindedness of a pilgrimage, coupled with the excitement of exploration, which seemed very appealing - a way to draw a line under past failures and prepare for the future in a new spirit" (Susie Traver in 'Field of stars')

"I'd like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one piece of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose the inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty." ('Into the wild' by Jon Krakauer)