Trying things and Learning

Just about everyone who knows me, knows that my daughter Lisa is an adventure racer and does extreme marathons. Some people think she is quite daft and dont understand what drives someone to happily run a 250 km race. Having been part of the preparations and support crew on occasion, I know how much courage it takes to enter these events and how much courage it takes to finish. And it takes a true understanding of "self" that finishing the race is achievable.

Lisa recently wrote a bit on her blog about this (http://adventurelisa.blogspot.com/) and quoted the following from Tim Jarvis who has done 3 unsupported polar expeditions.

"... growing up, we find out about ourselves and the world around us by trying things and learning through our experiences. Somewhere along the line, though, the responsibilities that represent adulthood seem to suppress this 'give it a go' spirit, replacing it with an increased reliance on second-hand sources, and the opinions of others.
That spirit often lies dormant for years, until one day we wake up and look back with regret and no real answer as to why we didn't find time to realise at least one or two dreams. In many cases it's because we're too often told that things are not possible for us, or not as simple as they appear to be. In some cases this is true, but it's dangerous to lump everything together in the same basket. If you do you'll find yourself not trying anything new or challenging at all."

Good food for thought.