At last, the first post, somewhat later than intended it almost didn’t happen at all…
I originally planned to launch this blog 1st of January 2013, then 1st of February, then I started to loose confidence in the whole idea of cycling around the world altogether.
The process of trying to put my ideas and aspirations about what this journey will entail, what I hope to achieve from making it and what good, if any, will come out of it caused me to dig deep and sharing what I found left me feeling rather vulnerable.
It felt safer, easier, more acceptable to just forget the whole idea and hide behind excuses about; “wasting” the hard earned money I’d saved, giving up the best job I’ve ever had, leaving friends and family behind, not wanting to live in a tent. Yes that last one did actually seem like a genuine reason not to go ahead, anything to avoid admitting my uncertainty of being up to the challenge.
What I was absolutely certain about was the need for change, despite being very grateful for all of the above, something is missing that I don’t believe I will find living a conventional life.
Thankfully a couple of months spent considering the alternatives of buying a house, finding a girlfriend, starting a family, etc, etc. All the things I’ve successfully managed to dodge for quite some time now, generated enough fear induced sleepless nights to scare me back into the far less daunting prospect of living like a homeless nomad for the foreseeable future.
I’m sure for most people there is a sweet spot situated somewhere between the extremes of comfort and discomfort, dependence and independence, all or nothing, I’ve just never been wired up in such a way to find it. The word “binary” springs to mind.
Once fully committed to the journey I felt relieved to be taking advantage of the circumstances I’d worked hard to create in a way that could not be measured by the future value of my physical assets, only by the breadth of life experiences, lessons learned and discoveries made along the way.
Committing to doing something that really matters to you, something you’re passionate about, that you don’t know if you can achieve and conveying that to others is an uncomfortable experience. Your biggest goals the things you dream about being able to do, to be, are usually kept close to your chest because in sharing them you have to let your guard down, revealing more of who you are than feels natural.
Now with only 34 days left before I start pedaling towards the first, famously exotic landmark that is… Bedford, have I finally found the confidence to share my thoughts and ideas out loud? No, I’m just running out of time. What you see before you is a perfect example of Parkinson’s Law in action; Work expands to fit the time available for its completion. A perfect example that is, of how not to use it. I’ve been thinking about what to write and finding reasons not to do it for months, I registered the domain name over a year ago. Finally struck with a sense of urgency I have written the content and finalized the design in just under two weeks (it shows, I know).
The fact is I have set myself a pretty ambitious fundraising target, I want to raise enough money to build a new school or school library and the only way I can possibly achieve this is by attracting enough attention to my challenge. Cyclehacker.com is my link to eyeballs all over the world and could make or break my fundraising efforts, there’s a lot riding on it.
Over the coming months and years I will share my experiences as I cycle around the world on a quest to learn about the world around me and within me. I believe in following your passions whatever they are, wherever they take you and that in doing so you will reach your full potential.
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Thanks for stopping by, if there is anything I can do to help you with a quest of your own please get it touch through my Contact me page or leave a comment below.