“A few weeks ago my incredible team in Morocco invited me to climb Toubkal with them. I am so grateful and wake with a buzz of anticipation when thinking of it. I am so looking forward to being able to really feel, see and taste the experience.
It is an incredible privilege to travel and experience new cultures, and to climb mountains! Along with this excitement I had an immediate switch. I became accountable and responsible. I am accountable for showing gratitude and respect to this generous offer, and I am accountable for turning up prepared to match the team’s fitness. (I would be mortified to be that weak link!)
The very next day I started running. NO mean feat considering I have been sitting out winter living in the Sinai where life has been water based.
So this was a big step for me and the shift of my mindset was immediate.
The first day I set off at 7:30am (rookie error as it was already way too hot) and I was well and truly pickled. I looked like a beetroot and I came back with a solid headache. The second day was a little better as I left at 7am but I still had to dig deep and probably stopped a few times along the way. I passed a friend who later said “bloody hell you were huffing and puffing!”
BUT 2 weeks later I am loving it. It’s a joy to be running and I am looking forward to it each night before I fall asleep. Up at 6:30am and out soon after. Smiling all the way while loving the feeling of becoming fitter and stronger.
This small change to my day is now having an impact. I find myself drinking more water, reaching for the salads, and embracing a more positive outlook with a higher level of clarity. As I run, new ideas come to me and thought processes and worries are resolved.
So… my nugget of advice is finding something that makes you accountable as the ripple effect is hugely rewarding.
The simple truth we all know is if you want change, then you need to change your daily habits. You cannot simply wake up and do the same things you do every day and expect a shift. The same thought patterns, the same emotional mindset, the same physical movements, the same foods, the same morning and evening routine.
The magic happens when you step out of your default mode, breaking your habits gives you a new lease of freedom. It could be as simple as taking a different walk to work, eating in a different café or as big as signing up to a new experience or an adventure – life is a choice.
Of course, I encourage you to book onto an expedition whether it is with 360 or not, or whether it is in the UK with our partners RAW Adventures. For as soon as you have committed, watch the mind shift from a dreaming state to accountability and it’s bloody awesome what this small shift does to you.
THANK YOU Lahcen and the whole Moroccan team for giving me the kickstart as I simply can’t wait to be back and this time to be climbing to the top!
And as a full disclaimer before anyone thinks I am now a super fit runner: NOPE I am talking 35 mins of running 4- 5 km!
https://www.360-expeditions.com/expeditions/toubkal-ascent-2/
Cheesy quotes as why not!!!
- “Accountability breeds response-ability.” – Stephen R. Covey
- “If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.” – Les Brown
- “Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to results.” – Bob Proctor
- “The moment you take responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you can change anything in your life.” – Hal Elrod
- “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” – Jim Rohn
- “In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
