Obstacle Mud Runner - issue 14

35 NAMIBIA RACE TO THE WRECK So, here are the answers I’ve come to realise and appreciate so far from my Namibian adventure: Win – I was able to make sensible decisions that protected my physical health and wellbeing throughout the adventure. In past endurance events, I’ve compromised my ability to perform by pushing through pain to my long-term detriment, reacted poorly to the environmental conditions and not adjusting eating schedules to stay present to the challenge that lay ahead. In Namibia, I was able to look after me always, making informed choices that led me to a more enjoyable experience overall. Learn – Preparation for any event really does require crystal clear clarity on the outcome you want to achieve in order to achieve it. A busy schedule filled with international travel leading up to the event had meant I forgot to take the time to get clear on exactly what I was looking to achieve in this challenge, what actions and attitudes I was going to focus on in order to pursue that outcome. That lack of clarity left me directionless and purposeless on more than one occasion, especially when sitting alone on a dune on Day 4! Change – I would not change a thing. Seriously, not one thing. By being purposeless going in to the event, I was more able to react to what was occurring for me at the time – albeit a happy, enjoyable moment or one that required me to look at who I am and what inspires and supports me in this world. I’d always had the focus on supporting my friend, and he went on to finish the whole event in a way that proves humans are capable of more than we think we might be. Besides that, I was happy to let the experience bring me what it did, without pre- judgment or expectation, and as a result I got an experience I can never forget. Continued > Photo: Rat Race Adventure Sports/Leo Francis. OVERCOMING THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO POWERFUL REFLECTION…OURSELVES! It is human nature for us to draw judgment and opinion of the world around us as we experience it. It is also often observed it is far easier to apportion responsibility or blame in a situation to a party other than ourselves (we can thank our precious ego for that one). These two factors alone can really hinder our ability to reflect in a way that is genuinely valuable for our personal growth. The judgment can distort our own opinion of our performance to the extremes of both positive and negative from the truth of what occurred. The apportion of blame means we look to place ownership externally to ourselves often first, with a lighter imbalance placed on our own role in proceedings. We do ourselves a disservice as humans if we aren’t prepared to look out ourselves honestly, authentically and realistically in the face of challenge so we can start to look at what we need to in order to grow. Therefore, to enhance your reflective practice, explore your response to the following questions as you carry out your own win-learn-change, and really make that reflection authentic and objective. n How did my approach help my performance? n How did my approach hinder my performance? n What was in my control before, during and after the event/season? n What was out of my control before, during and after the event/season? n Where should I have listened to my inner voice and didn’t’? n Where could I have listened to my inner voice and chose a path to a more positive outcome? Your answers, to which you are the only judge to the authenticity of the response, may be the key to unlocking yourself for the next big challenge you face. Graham