Accepting the Setbacks

So it’s 7th February and my first day back at work. I’m 7 weeks too early given my decision to stop my expedition due to injury.

It’s been a challenging few days to say the least, with acceptance of an unsuccessful attempt to complete my 2nd 1,000 mile unsupported adventure within a 12 month period now putting my vision back 12 months. 

This is the 4th time in the last 5 years I’ve fallen and not achieved the goal. But hang on a minute, was there an actual defining aspect where I had a win from this experience?

A big part of me wants to get on my bike and go cycle another 1,000 miles across and around the UK, but the reality, I need 7-10 days for my toe and finger tops to heal before I go out and smash another 1,000 miles. I still have 2 months to achieve another 1,000 miles but need to ensure I allow some time for recover. I have very limited feelings in the ends of my fingers due to frostnip and a not-so-great looking middle toe of my left foot. That said, everything is fine and ready to go!

But I pause, I ask myself - What would I achieve if I went and did 1,000 miles on my mountain bike? 

Personally, I don’t think it would be an achievement as I can do 1,000 miles on a bike all day long. I continue my pause for a moment and reflect. 

I realise I wouldn’t be gaining anything by grabbing my mountain bike and going off to cycle 1,000 miles, and it would be a tick exercise. That is not what I’m about!

It’s been a bitter pill to swallow. My pride, risk of reputation, financial outlay, expenses, time from working with clients and much more. All of which I have to overcome and focus moving forward with my learnings from this experience. 

My South Pole world record is still on track!

A big part of me is filled with huge disappointment and something that has yet to process fully within my mind.

All the training, planning and preparation suddenly came to a holt on day 2 when I had conversations with the medical specialist on my options to continue my adventure. I honestly thought it would be a conversation indicating that it would be ok to continue. How wrong I was.

It’s not how hard you fall, but how hard you are willing to get back up fight for your vision, goals and aspirations. You fall down, you get back up, and try again. Fall down twice, get back up again, fall down 3 times, get up 4. Fall down 4 times, get up 5. 

Guess this is where I’m at, it’s the 5th time I've gotten up, brushed the dust off my shoulders and continued my pursuit towards my goals. 

For me, It’s only when you quit following your goals, dreams or aspirations, that failure presents itself.

The Experience

Day 1 turned out to be one of the toughest days on any adventure I had experienced. The moment I was dropped off, I was faced with challenges. Challenges I did not expect to occur given the intensive preparations, especially with my equipment.

It took over an hour to get the pulk set up given one of the securing pins had managed to break into the pulk poles and I had to start making repairs. All of which in sub zero conditions didn’t make for a great start with my fingers and toes.

That said I remained focused on my goal.

For the first 4 hours, things just got from bad to worse. Cold weather management with my snowshoes meant I had to add extra socks, try and warm the toes on my left foot. Bearing in mind I have never had problems with keeping my feet and toes warm, but for some reason this time my toes got very cold and numb all of a sudden. 

By around hour 7 on day one I was ready for rest as I made it to Joatka Lodge.

I needed to be indoors and not in a tent. My right hand finger tips were suffering yet my toes were toasty and warm having worked on them and changed footwear.

As I warmed my fingers up, I knew I had to wait and see in the morning how my fingers were. I checked my toes and they looked great which was a relief, but I had concerns over the level of frostnip on my finger tips.

The following morning having slept with wool mittens on my hands, my fingertips didn’t feel right. I felt it wise to call back to Alta to see a Doctor and get advice before continuing on my adventure.

This meant checking into a hotel for one night as they couldn’t guarantee what time they would see me.

The Showering Moment!

Still in cold shower mode, I started my shower under cold water and then turned on the warmth. 

The lovely warm shower was great until I got out and dried myself off noticing an unforgiving image on my middle toe on my left foot.

There was no doubt, I had frostbite just on the tip of my toe going under the toe nail. I got dressed and went straight to the doctors. After a short wait, I was seen by a lovely caring Doctor. 

Good news Jonathan she said, there is circulation on the toes but the injury needs observing and the frostnip on your right hand fingers will ease off over time. That said, you need to be cautious until everything heals. Any further exposure at this stage could lead to serious damage.

The Realisation

It was at this point I made the call. I couldn’t feel any temperature difference on the tips of my right-hand fingers. This is a major concern. Purely because if I can’t feel the cold on my fingers, if I go back out on my expedition, I could lose some or all of my fingers and risk suffering a major issue, furthermore the frostbite injury on my toe could get a lot worse.

My ego and pride initial said just get on with it. My heart said hang-on Jon, Norway will still be here next year, but your toes and fingers may not. Calculate the risk. 

It was a simple decision to make. Norway will still be there next year!

Safety first and live to fight another day. No question about it or negotiations needed with my ego. It was simple and quick, postpone my adventure until next year. Afterall, I do control my bear!

It could have been very easy to be egotistical and push on. But really! What would I be proving, that I can destroy my body at any costs just for one of the many adventures I have planned. 

No. I’m in full control of my bear, and sometimes, we have to take a step back to go forward.

So I chose to take a positive step, rest, recover and regroup, to the go back another time for a successful outcome. 

What I know, is that I can influence my direction going forward and whilst I didn’t achieve my desired outcome at this moment in time, I have to ask the question if it is the universe having another plan for me to which I have chosen to accept this adjustment.

Conclusion

Sometimes in life things don’t always work out as we hope they will do, but it doesn’t mean we bury our heads into the sand and take our bat and ball home. No, I believe in the approach where I embrace my learnings and grow from them. 

Parts of my equipment are being upgraded and my training is back on track for 2023 onwards.

Since writing this blog, I’ve spoken and met with my Doctors here in the UK. Everything is going to be OK. The frostbite has became localised and both toes and fingers are healing well. 

Could the injuries have been avoided? Mostly yes which I take ownership of. Could I have prevented the equipment failure at the beginning. No, I have stripped and cleaned the equipment maticulously.

That said, things don’t always go to plan in life, but it’s the actions and decisions I made during and afterwards that I embrace and take with me going forward.

For now, I will be focusing on my private client work, supporting clients achieve a solid mindset that can take on anything they desire both in the office and outdoors.

Roll on 2023 and beyond for my next set of adventures...

If you want to explore how I support clients, just click on the get in touch button below to arrange a short discovery session.

Walking through the mist is something I personally enjoy. Especially when out training in the countryside and walking distances, for over 50km, pulling a tyre, and for many hours.

At present I’m training to walk unsupported, 1,000 miles across parts of the Yukon and Alaska. Across frozen rivers, lakes, through forests and ice roads. I’ll even be walking for approximately 15 hours a day and often through the dark. I’ll be walking through the countryside where bears will be hibernating (hopefully) and with wolves that at times can be curious and inquisitive! There could even be what we call “Whiteouts” where the snow and weather is so dense, you can’t see very far (that’s a bit like not knowing your journey of life). You have to trust your navigation skills and have a strong robust mindset on an unconscious level.

Any glitch within your mindset, to work with the environment, could expose you to unwanted stress, anxiety and lead to mistakes with potentially catastrophic results/outcomes. This is where training your mind becomes your number one priority.

So yes, I need to be physically fit, I think it’s fair to say, it’s a must if I want to enjoy the journey. But if my mind isn’t trained to work with the variables and keep navigating me on my journey, then there is a risk that bad things could happen! 

That said, not everyone wants to go out and walk within the wilderness where bears may be lingering! But your life journey is also an expedition. You may or may-not have a plan, vision, goal, aspiration etc, but it’s fair to say, no-one really has a crystal ball at hand that can tell them what will happen exactly throughout their future years. If you don’t have control over your mind, guess what? Your “Bear” will take control of you!

Some say “Can’t see the wood for the Trees”.

The challenge a person has is that they may feel overwhelmed, as if they are climbing out of a big hole. Not only have they got to pull themselves out of the hole, they’re struggling to see their future and what good looks like.

People say to keep focusing on what good looks like, think positive thoughts, do incantations and much more, even to the point of others expressing how they have achieved a perceived level of mental success. Yet, One size doesn’t fit all! People have different thought processes and patterns.

We at Walking With My Bear, feel it is very important to understand the programming of the mind before you begin trying to clear the mist.

I’d like to share an example of a structured approach to understanding why your mind feels like it cannot see what good looks like, or the true potential of what you can really achieve. It’s designed to give you a starting point where you can adapt it to your own self.

Step 1

• You may have a million and one things going on in your mind right now. This can cause mist in the mind whether it be consciously, or even on a deep unconscious level. Write down all the things on your mind. This will help you to release some of the mist. It’s about your ability to free your mind of the overwhelming thoughts clouding your vision.

Step 2

• Prioritise what is essential and must be done straight away from the list you have just created. Once you have prioritized your list, leave for 5-10 minutes. Go for a walk or go make a cuppa, etc, then go back to it and reflect to see if the order of priority is right. If not, adjust and reflect again.

Step 3

• Create a timeframe of when things need to be done by. Draw a line from one side of the paper to the other. Then write the things that need to be done in order and then put times and dates on them.

Step 4

• Complete the exercise in the previous blog – “Can we Control the Controllables”. Once you have completed the task, you will then be able to see what you can focus on.

Step 5

• Now write or draw your vision of the desired outcome you would like to see for yourself; having achieved the things you desire.

Step 6

• Write a plan. If you’re struggling to create a plan, reach out for help. Maybe consider getting in touch with Walking With My Bear. You never know, we may be able to help you.

Step 7

• Reflect to see if you need help or support. If you do require help or support, reach out. Either communicate with someone you trust who is qualified and experienced, or by all means, reach out to Walking With My Bear. We’d be very happy to support you

We hope this simple exercise helps you on your journey and taking back control of your bear.

Warmest wishes

Walking With My Bear

August 2020 to December 31^st 2020 is the final stages of my physical and mental training before I ease off ready for my 1,000-mile trek to parts of the Yukon and Alaska; unsupported.

I’ve been planning this expedition trek for many years and already had an attempt cut short due to injury; avoiding a spinning car hurtling towards me on a frozen road.

Part of my training is to empower my mind and body to maintain 45 miles a day pulling my pulk which will weigh approximately 45 kilos over unforgiving terrain.

Only 7 months ago I had an operation to repair a ripped meniscus and multiple tears in my cruciate ligament on my right knee. So, I can’t quite put into words at the moment how excited I feel about being able to train at the level I am.

Saturday 1^st August was weekend 3 of my final 5-month training plan. I walked, pulling a large tyre over the Derbyshire Peak district. 51.57km (32 miles) over many peaks, hills, over boulders, rocky paths, tarmac and grass land and old roman roads.

Each Saturday my plan is to increase the distance by 10k until I hit the magic 45 miles (72.5km) in one day pulling the tyre. If I average 2.75 mph or 4.5 kmph, then my time walking with the tyre, attached to me, will take me 16-17 hours with breaks.

As you can imagine these are long days! Yes, you could say they are very tyre-ing, Do I get tyred? It must be tyre-some! I know sounds like humour but after a while you get bored of the comments from other people looking at you weirdly!

72.42 km is my target distance which equates to 45 miles.

On the 1^st August I found my energy levels were fine up to 40k. Whilst planning my route, I knew the section between 40-45k was probably the toughest of all the route I had chosen for that day. My first challenge was to ensure my mind didn’t gear me up to think it was tough.

I could have approached my route clockwise, which meant the section between 40-45k would have been all downhill, but that would have only resulted in me cheating myself.

It is 5k of sheer undulating inclines in hot weather. I’d be lying if I said it was a doddle. It certainly required my mind to take over and I became the passenger on the journey. That way I wasn’t worrying about the incline, just enjoying the journey the best I could, considering the obvious – insanity for taking on such a personal challenge!

You see, it’s easy for anyone to say “think it, believe it and you can achieve it”. But I truly believe you have to go deeper within your mind to understand your “Bear”. If you train your mind in a specific way, then you find you can adjust your mindset at any given point.

People say to me, Jon, you must be super fit, the distance is insane pulling a tyre! How do you gear your mind to take on 50k? I always say, well, I don’t focus on the high number for a start. Yes, I have a plan and I break things down into sizeable chunks at times. That way I don’t get lost in the mist or overwhelming thoughts of tiredness just thinking of the distance that needs to be covered.

I believe, with the right mindset training, if you can run or walk 10k, you can run or walk a marathon. If you can complete a marathon, you can run an ultra. If you can run an ultra, you can run or walk any distance you desire. You just need a plan, strategy and the right state of mind and body for whatever you so desire to achieve. The same applies with life and business. Break it down, have a plan, listen to successful people who have done what you are setting out to achieve.

Please, please DO NOT listen to what I call academic people of life. This may sound negative, but there seems to be an ever-increasing number of people claiming to be specialists in certain things, yet they never seem to actually apply their knowledge in the real world with themselves!

With myself, I will be completing 1,000 miles in arctic conditions with so many variables. There aren’t many people out there that have completed 1,000-mile distances in arctic conditions, so it’s a little challenging to get a mentor to learn from. That said there are plenty of people who are experienced in distance navigation and survival skills; for example, which I have quite rightly spent time learning from them.

Try not to let the fear of the unknown take over if you can’t find a mentor. Many people are conditioned from stages in their life to either fear the unknown, or the fear of not succeeding first time. I say stuff them all! You never know, you may actually succeed!

It’s Friday 7th August as I write this article. I have two more weekends before I hit the target distance of 72.42 kms; with tomorrow being a 60k target training session. Yes, it’s exciting in many ways, but planning and preparing for such a distance, away from as many people as possible, so I can just get on with training, can and does prove challenging. It’s not that I’m unsociable, but I do like to allow myself to focus and be the introvert that I truly am. There is only so many puns you can take during any one given day!

Yes, people are curious, inquisitive which is great, but sometimes you just want to be left alone to get on and train. Also, when your mind is purely focused on your goal, if someone says something to me, I can often come across as if I am ignoring their questions or remarks. It’s not the case. I’m merely just focused on my mind; being free of everything else except my inner self. That’s why I prefer the early morning part of the walk, or even late evening when people have gone home!

So, to come back to my initial headline comment, is pulling a tyre for 51k over the Derbyshire peaks physically hard? At first, yes. But after a while, it becomes second nature and you just “crack on” as they say. Your mind becomes attuned to the motions of just doing it. Just like anything else in life. If you put the effort in, you get the rewards out.

Want to know how to adjust your own mindset for the next stage of your life? Why not get in touch or reach out, maybe register for the updates and blogs which provide hints and tips.

Warmest wishes

Walking With My Bear