Alastair's Lessons

Alastair Humphreys rocks my world.

For one, he has a gnarly name.

For two, he is an adventurer from England who spent four years cycling around the world. (Oh, and he also ran 150 miles across the Sahara desert, walked and pack-rafted across Iceland, and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean.) <Insert salivation here.>

But cycling around the world is Alastair's baby, as it was his first adventure. Alastair wrote a book about his journey, called "Ten Lessons from the Road."

Alastair learned a helluva lot of lessons during his four-year journey. So why does he only include ten lessons in his book? Because life is short. Because each day we inch closer and closer to our deathbeds. Because we can't spend too much time theorizing. We just gotta do it and get on with our dreams!

I'm all about simplifying things. And for that reason, I want to share the two lessons from Alastair's book that really rock my world.

The first lesson is lifted directly from the book's second lesson: Make it harder to ignore your dreams than to overcome the risks and obstacles involved. This can take some getting used to, but once you start doing it, it becomes easier and easier to do.

The second lesson is this: Keep asking yourself what you would do that would be more rewarding than what you are currently doing. When you get to a point where you can no longer answer the question, then you've arrived at how you should be spending your time.

To give you a heftier taste of Alastair's book, here are all ten lessons (reproduced directly from the book's table of contents):

1. You Want to Do What?: Set yourself an outrageous goal today.
2. Just Do It: Make it harder to ignore your dreams than to overcome the risks and obstacles involved.
3. Quitting is Not an Option (But Failure Is): Only by going too far will you learn how far you are capable of going.
4. We Walk Alone: You are the only one who controls your potential.
5. A Bad Day is a Good Day: Earn the good times.
6. Be Brutally Honest With Yourself: Do you believe your own excuses? 
7. What Do You Really Want?: Does this year matter? Then use it!
8. Think Like a Goldfish: Do not think about the end itself. Focus only on the next minuscule step that is needed to keep you moving on in the direction of your goal.
9. Shed a Load. Hit the Road: Get on your bike. Save the earth, save yourself.
10. The World is a Good Place: Trust. Smile. Boldness and relentless passion will be rewarded.

I find myself reading this book over-and-over again for inspiration. Reading the book plasters a smile on my face and makes me feel as though I've sprouted wings to help me fly towards my dreams.

I highly recommend you give Alastair's book a read. Not only does the book provide motivational support for each of the lessons, but it also includes a plethora of jaw-dropping photographs and inspirational quotes. You need not be a cyclist to appreciate Alastair's book, as his lessons can be applied to any endeavor in life.

Go ahead and add the book to your wish list. Better yet, go ahead and get yourself a copy today! Because life is short, and the clock is ticking! And read the book today, for heaven's sake! It's a pretty book and all, but don't let it be a decoration for your nightstand. Read it RIGHT NOW and be inspired to start doing what you want to be doing!

Rock me, Alastair, like Amadeus rocks me.