1. Be consistent…<\/strong><\/em> just like my Geography teacher used to tell us, “You can achieve anything you want, as long as you’re prepared to work hard and smart for it.”<\/em> I include a wide variety of movements, activities, exercises and training into my week (swimming, running, cycling, gym, Pilates). And I’ve been doing this every week for the past 20+ years. This consistency allows me to make possible what most consider impossible (and downright mad at times!) – like that time in 2012 when me and my training mate completed an Ironman Triathlon an hour quicker than the average time of all competitors with no preparation (having been given 2 entries 2 days before the event).<\/p>\n

2. Fake it ’til you make it…<\/strong><\/em> I’ve never been great nor a natural talent at any particular sport. But I have always tried my hardest. I took up the game of squash in my early years at uni. Without any technical ability, the only thing I had going was my “never say die”<\/em> approach to the game. I went for every shot – even if I thought it was impossible to get to it. More often than not I was able to prove myself (and my competitor) wrong and either hit a winner or keep the ball in play. I managed to get to a fairly high competitive level based on my guts and determination.<\/p>\n

3. Do something that scares you…<\/strong><\/em> There’s nothing like overcoming fears to get you out if your comfort zone and achieve great things. Feeling a little underwhelmed with my daily exercise, I decided that I needed a BIG, SCARY challenge. Over the long weekend, I scoured the internet searching for an event to give me a massive spark of enthusiasm. I found one and entered this event last night. 3 high altitude mountain runs in a 24 hour period. The distances are by no means huge, but with the air a lot thinner at altitude, running mountainous trails and backing up run after run in a short space of time, there are lots of unknown variables which some people may consider impossible to overcome.<\/p>\n

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4. Tell everyone (especially yourself)…<\/strong><\/em> there’s nothing like positive mantras, writing down your goals and having accountability buddies to make the impossible seem a lot more achievable. There’s been lots of studies and research in these areas with an overwhelming positive outcome to those who visualise their goals, write them down and tell other people.<\/p>\n