Show Notes
Say yes more
Once I started going on adventures, I fell deeply in love with the world of travel, expeditions and endeavour. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. As I travelled further, I realised how little I had seen and how much there was to do in life. Would I like to go there? Yes! Am I up for this challenge? Yes! Every journey gave me ideas for new ones. Life was exciting!
Mountains, deserts, jungles, cities, savannah: whatever it was, I wanted it all. I was greedy. I was never interested in becoming a specialist in one region or an expert at one sport. My appetite has always been for the new: I enjoy being a beginner.
However, there was one type of adventure that never appealed. I had read plenty of books about ocean rowing, and the concept struck me as stupid. You go backwards for thousands of miles. It is simultaneously claustrophobic and agoraphobic. You face sharks, storms, capsize and seasickness. You are trapped in a tiny, home-made boat for so long that you end up with nothing left to talk about except whose buttocks hurt the most. And boy, do those buttocks hurt. You get boils on your bottom and salt sores everywhere else. It is a venture both tedious and terrifying: not a good combination.
Then I opened an email.
Hello Alastair...
Are you interested in rowing the E-W Atlantic in January?
...
Sounds fun, right? :)
Bye, Marin
No, I thought to myself. I am not interested in rowing the Atlantic Ocean – or any other ocean for that matter. I certainly don’t want to do it with you, weird bloke from Slovenia who I’ve never met. Rowing an ocean with people you don’t know is foolhardy. And leaving in six weeks? Well, that’s just daft. I can’t get ready to row the Atlantic by then. I’m busy. You’re an idiot. And no, it doesn’t sound fun at all.
The only sensible answer to the question was ‘no’.
So I clicked reply and answered, ‘yes!’
I flew out to the Canary Isles, met Marin and my other two crewmates – Simon and Steve – and off we went, rowing out onto thousands of miles of empty ocean.
And I was right: rowing the Atlantic was a mostly unpleasant experience. Why on earth did I say yes to Marin? I did so because it was clear that this was a rare opportunity. One of my missions in life is to make the most of my opportunities. By nature, I am a cautious, pessimistic person, but I have worked hard to teach myself not to be like that. An excellent way to do that is to say ‘yes’ more often.
You might sensibly say, ‘you thought it would be miserable, did it anyway and then it was miserable. I’m not sure that sounds very smart.’ But now that sufficient time has passed, I look back on the trip with great fondness and pride. (I explain this concept of ‘Type 2 Fun’ later in the book.)
On the day that Marin’s email arrived, I was busy. But I imagined myself as an old man looking back on my life. 50 years from now, how many urgent chores would I remember? Zero, of course. But I would be chuffed to regale my grandchildren with tales of high adventure and chafed buttocks. And that was why I should say yes to the opportunity.
OVER TO YOU:
- What is an example of a time you said a bold ‘yes’ to an opportunity and were glad of it?
- Are there any occasions when you regret not having said yes?
- Think of examples in your work life and your home life.
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What is The Doorstep Mile?
Would you like a more adventurous life?
Are you being held back by a lack of time or money? By fear, indecision, or a feeling of being selfish or an imposter?
Living adventurously is not about cycling around the world or rowing across an ocean.
Living adventurously is about the attitude you choose each day. It instils an enthusiasm to resurrect the boldness and curiosity that many of us lose as adults.
Whether at work or home, taking the first step to begin a new venture is daunting. If you dream of a big adventure, begin with a microadventure.
This is the Doorstep Mile, the hardest part of every journey.
The Doorstep Mile will reveal why you want to change direction, what’s stopping you, and how to build an adventurous spirit into your busy daily life.
Dream big, but start small.
Don’t yearn for the adventure of a lifetime. Begin a lifetime of living adventurously.
What would your future self advise you to do?
What would you do if you could not fail?
Is your to-do list urgent or important?
You will never simultaneously have enough time, money and mojo.
There are opportunities for adventure in your daily 5-to-9.
The hardest challenge is getting out the front door and beginning: the Doorstep Mile.
Alastair Humphreys, a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, cycled around the world for four years but also schedules a monthly tree climb. He has crossed the Empty Quarter desert, rowed the Atlantic, walked a lap of the M25 and busked through Spain, despite being unable to play the violin.
‘The gospel of short, perspective-shifting bursts of travel closer to home.’ New York Times
‘A life-long adventurer.’ Financial Times
‘Upend your boring routine… it doesn't take much.’ Outside Magazine
Visit www.alastairhumphreys.com to listen to Alastair's podcast, sign up to his newsletter or read his other books.
@al_humphreys