Rekindling Our Child Like Self Belief
14 July, 2008 - Motivation - 14 Comments
Photo by Dru Climb
22nd March, 2005. Saturday. 7:30am. Clear, blue skies on a crisp Spring morning.
Seven teams. Four members per team. And nothing but the hardest challenge of our lives ahead of us.
Me? 14 years old. With a dodgy knee.
On this clear March morning, I had strapped a rucksack to my shoulders and set about undertaking a 35km hike across the rugged, mountainous region of northern England. For no other reason than to have some fun.
The idea was simple. Seven teams compete to complete 35km in two days with their house on their shoulders, while partaking in regular physical, mental and social challenges along the way. 17.5km each day, staying overnight in a remote field using the tent strapped to your back. Points are awarded on hike times, quality of food at the overnight stop and the success achieved in the challenges presented along the way, whether it be a test of first aid skills, knot tying, construction or lateral thinking.
Jamie (middle) following the pylonsPacked in my rucksack I had a tent, map, compass, first aid kit, fire lighting equipment, stove, food, emergency rations, drinks, sleeping bag, sleeping mattress, survival bag, clothes and a torch. Weighing in around the weight of a small child.
It was, without question, the most weight I had ever carried on my shoulders. And for added measure, 35km was, without question, the longest I had ever hiked.
Having had our kit checked for our own safety and having being reminded of the fact the competition organisers were not responsible for our death, should we decide that was the easiest way of ending the 35km onslaught, we got underway.
Up the first major hill we walked. We were overtaken by another team. 90 minutes after setting off on what was to be a six hour day of hiking, we had already emptied our water bottles. It was an unseasonably hot day and we found ourselves diving in to the water in our emergency rations.
While all the teams walked on the roads, around the exposed moorland, from the map I noticed a line of electricity pylons passing straight overhead our next check point. So straight across the moor we went, following the pylons overhead.
The day carried on like this. Hot. Sticky. And struggling to breathe as the kid on our back dug in to our chest and forced our shoulders together.
When we reached the campsite after six hours of hiking, I had never felt so tired. My feet were blistered. My chest was aching from the strain of constantly struggling for breath. My legs felt like jelly. And we were only half way there.
One night and one bag of army rations later, we were packing the tent back in to our rucksacks and preparing for another day of hell.
After another six hours hiking I can barely describe the feeling in the latter stages. The pain was excruciating. Despite the rucksack being lighter with a lack of food and water, every second seemed to increase its mass. Every step seemed to highlight each ache and pain in my body. Each little annoyance, such as a moving water bottle inside a rucksack, was magnified in to the single biggest problem in the world.
But finish we did. And in 5th place at that. Had it not been for our poor army ration food we would have finished higher. Personally, I was just glad to have finished. One team were not so lucky after admitting defeat half way through the second day.
It was, without question, the toughest 48 hours of my life. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t say I was pushed to my mental limit, but at 14 years old I certainly came close.
The Advantage of Carrying a House at 14
There was one advantage to our young age when we competed in this competition. We never even contemplated failure.
As children, we have an amazing ability to contemplate nothing but success. Going in to the hike, I never imagined I wouldn’t complete it. Granted, I never imagined it would be so hard, but this is all part of a child’s mind set.
As an adult in 2008, I can hand on heart say I wouldn’t be able to complete those 35km with that level of equipment on my back. But then sometimes, like earlier today when I watched SAS recruits push themselves to their absolute limit in life, I wonder whether my inability to not do it is all in my mind. I wonder whether the hurdle to overcome is not my physical capabilities, but my mental strength.
If I pushed myself to my absolute limit in life, to a point where nose bleeds, cold sweats and hallucinations spontaneously occur, how far would I go?
Very few of us can hand on heart say we have pushed ourselves to the point where we no longer feel a part of our self. But one day I would like to see how far my body can take me. I often wonder where it would take me if I give it the chance, and how long it would take me to get there. I wonder how I would feel afterwards, and I question whether or not it would bring me forever change in my life.
Find your child like self belief, because far too often we listen to our mind, rather than our body.
How far have you pushed yourself? Like most people, do you find yourself lacking in self belief to undertake the incredible? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments.
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Posted on 14 July, 2008 by Jamie Harrop
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i ponder a lot these days about how invincible i was from 13 to about 17. there wasn’t anything i couldn’t accomplish that was conceivable. my recent trip has inspired me a lot. hopefully i will find my inner flame shining brighter than ever
Hey Danielle,
Wow. That was a comment full of energy.
It’s amazing what a vacation can do. I wish you the best of luck. I want to be able to see that inner flame shining when I look out over the Atlantic.
Hi Jamie,
I’m in awe at your love of energetic adventures. I’ve never been one to participate in the kind of physical pursuits you do (I see the photo of you canoeing at the top of the page
It’s so true that as children we set out to achieve everything with a ‘can do/ no fear/ will succeed’ attitude.
As we grow up, experience and other people gradually wear away this sense of belief in ourselves.
Those who are determined to trust and be guided by the ‘childlike sense of belief’- that still exists within us all- are more likely to achieve great things.
Hey Scott,
Most of my outdoor pursuits have come as a result of my 14 years in Scouting. Rock climbing. Hiking. Camping. Kayaking. Canoeing. Sailing. Scuba diving. And no doubt many more I’ve forgotten. I’m an outdoors man at heart and there’s nothing I like more than a challenge.
“Those who are determined to trust and be guided by the ‘childlike sense of belief’- that still exists within us all- are more likely to achieve great things.”
So true, and a such a perfect sentence to sum up this post.
Thanks Scott!
Hi Jamie, I love walking but that was some hike - especially carrying all that stuff though. It makes the walks I do seem like short strolls.
It’s funny - thinking back that far, you really don’t even consider failure when you’re a child do you. It must make a difference.
What are you planning to do to push yourself - another hike or something different?
Cath Lawson’s last blog post..Did You Make A Mistake?
Hey Cath,
Yep, it was a little (lot!) brutal. I’m used to a 10 mile hike with just a day sack.
I really don’t know what I want to do yet. I’m sure I’ll come up with something crazy over the next 12 months while I travel. Which, in itself, may well push me. Maybe not to my physical limit, but overcoming my fears to do sky diving and bungee jumping may well be a limit pusher.
Great Post.
It inspired me to run a half marathon after getting back from the office and got me back on track for my marathon training.
Thanks!
DavidDs last blog post..Beware: Tax Refund Scam
Hey David,
I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I’m really pleased to hear it inspired you.
Good look for the marathon. Which one are you taking part in?
Jamie:
You are right about the inner child. The “you can’t do that” attitude that is taught to us early on chases our inner child away. It doesn’t take long. I’m sure I won’t do something crazy today, but maybe silly!
Hey Dee,
Thanks for stopping by.
You’re right, it does seem to get taken from us quite fast.
Silly is good. Just have fun while doing it.
[...] Some of Jamie’s excellent blog posts include: Unknown Facts About Self Made Billionaires and Rekindling Our Childlike Self Belief. Davina only recently began dropping by. She’s an amazing writer and poet and lives in [...]
Hey Jamie
The big thing for me in this post was the line - We never even contemplated failure.
I bet everyone on the planet can relate to that one, and the key to keeping that enthusiasm going is to find something that matters (big or small) and allow yourself to be vulnerable.
What I think is interesting is that the older you get the less it is about pushing yourself physically, and the more it becomes about pushing yourself emotionally. Sometimes you have to go to those places where it scares you half to death, the places where it’s easier to stay right where you are rather than risk what you’ve got or who you are. That’s where the magic happens.
Keep doing what you’re doing.
Steve
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the excellent comment.
I completely agree with you. Finding something that matters is so important.
Jamie
[...] just re-read a post from Jamie Harrop called ‘Rekindling Our Child Like Self Belief‘ that struck so many chords it could have been the London [...]