“It’s like blackjack.
He might get the ace or the top one,
so organise your twos and threes into a run,
then you’ll have ****ed him, son.
And for that you’ll be the better one.”
– The Streets
You learn a lot on expeditions. How to pitch a tent in a gale. How to tie a bowline.
But you also learn one or two things that are useful when you return to the real world. Like when everything on your trip is going well, all is under control, and then –bang– something bad and unexpected happens. The wind is knocked from your sails. You’re suddenly out of your depth. And nobody can fix it but you. You think that it is too hard, and that you must surely quit (if indeed quitting is an option), but over time you come to learn that things are rarely unsurmountable. So you set to the problem, you persevere, and things will slowly come good again. And you will feel good because you endured and because you solved your difficulty yourself.
Another good thing is having to make decisions based on the limited, and often unclear information you have available. Once you have made that decision you then have to live with it. There’s no point complaining, or wishing you’d done things differently. There is nothing to do but make the best of what you have. Pragmatic decision-making and the perseverance to keep your head when all about you are losing theirs are valuable spin-offs from expeditions.
Are there any other benefits to expeditions that make you better at what you do out here in the real world?
what i find is that when you go on a long trip, you usually find you have seen many things and you have changed. when you come back the world hasn’t and you are given your space back.. It is difficult to apply what you have learned during your trip. how do u cope with that ?
cheers
Francois
I started reading your blog about 12 or so months ago. At the time I was deciding on whether to continue in a safe, secure and cushy job in which I frustratingly felt unfulfilled or to take a risk and do something different. The risk was compounded given I have four children and wife and I’m the only breadwinner in the house.
The posts I read then were very much like the one above. They served as independent impartial nods of agreement to the ideas I had, and spurred me on to take a leap of faith and go for it.
The last 12 months have been the most memorable 12 months of my life for some years. I have literally shed blood, sweat and tears. Not so much a roller coaster more like a stress test of resilience, self belief, emotional strength and physical stamina.
I have felt like jumping back to where it’s safe and came very close to doing so on one occasion. I’m pleased I’ve stuck with it. Things have developed and transformations have occurred and are still shaping out. I feel proud of myself. I have done well. I’ve gone out on a limb, I’ve winged it, and I have not come crashing down.
Turning to your question; you write about the real world and expeditions like they are two different things. I’m sure you would concede that really they are not. My life of work, family, friends, and weekend recreation is an expedition, it’s a long haul and the stakes are high. Though I have not had a passport for the last 10 years I’m pretty sure the lessons and experiences I have had in the real world will stand me in good stead the next time I pack by bags and head off into the horizon.
Cheers to you Alistair. There is an artistic integrity to what you do.
AlistairAlastair – you may have artistic integrity but my spelling of your name did not!Hi Al,
To be unpoetic. You raise the two big ones; probelm solving and decision making/risk taking. There is the classic ‘focus on delivering/completing’ something difficult too.
My thoughts turned to before you go:
Planning an expedition, the thoroughness etc. is very useful
Idea generation – exploring your imagination
All the best,
Matt
I have two mottos on expeds:
1) Choose your attitude!
2) Will it matter in 2 years?
I’m still working hard (and more often than not failing miserably) at these. Putting them into play when you’re more knackered that you’ve ever been is very hard but if you can do it mid expedition chances are you can do it every time in your day to day life. Both mottos are about the art of zen! Learning to let things slide unless they really matter is the key to a successful expedition. I always ask myself will it matter in 2 years? If the answer is yes then it’s probably time to sort it out. I also try to remind myself that if I’m in a bad mood it’s my own choice and that I can choose my attitude and choose to snap out of it.