Before I share this letter I wrote to myself I would like to thank Chris Leighton and Tom Day at Air Zones for all their encouragement and support. To Chris for forcing me to dig deep into my soul and expose myself in order for me to discover my true motivations. This letter is from the view point of having completed the task completely and I am writing to myself in the past before I've started the actual ride.
Hi Paula
How are you doing? It's been a minute since we connected. It seems like a lifetime since did that bike ride. I never thought we had it in us right up until we decided we were actually doing this thing. WE DID IT! WE ACTUALLY DID IT!
Do you remember why we started that journey? We had tried everything we could to make our dreams become reality. Every time we took a step forward it felt like just after we'd get pushed two steps back. We learned something though didn't we! We learned resilience, perseverance and to never give up. We were so tired of small minded people telling us to start small and build off that, we realised it was to take something so big to create something as big as we wanted, then WE MADE THE DREAM EVEN BIGGER!
With Great Risk comes Great Reward!
I remember the day we read that fact about this 22,000km road spanning 17 countries from South Africa to Russia. I remember thinking this is something I want to do. Suddenly we were neck deep and before our scared inner self could take control, our fearless self announced it to our friends! We were going to do this and conquer this road, (since then of course we had to change the route but the plan was the same, conquer the road to build schools)!
in that moment we forgot about all our big plans and it was just us and that road!
It wasn't just the road though was it? It was so much more than that. It was a chance for us to face our demons head on and conquer them. Starting all these big plans in our head and never following through. Blaming others for your shortfall and lack of action. Never really finding a way. Never seeing yourself truly worthy of success no matter how badly we really wanted it. It wasn't just normal success we were after. It was life changing success for a lot of people not just yourself.
This feels really egotistical to say but we both know how we've felt from a very young age. We wasn't born to be mediocre. We were born to change the world.
We always had this need to help everyone, help kids understand this world and help them navigate it successfully, to help make this world a better place.
It's taken us so long to understand our role and that ride solidified it. You have to push the boundaries Paula and take the chance you've created for yourself. At this moment in time your are going to come up against people who just don't understand you or the need for this. They don't matter because they could never understand - this is what needs to be done.
You've given yourself two years to pull this together. It's truly the start of something so big you have to let it grow and expand. Don't let your fear of what the world may think stop this time.
Paula don't be scared because at times it will feel overwhelming but you have it in you to this. You've finally understood how you are going to change the world.
We both know you're not the one who's going to discover the cure for cancer, or discover how to travel beyond the speed of light but you are the one who can inspire and support those those who might be born for greatness.
Everyone deserves a chance at their own success however that may manifest itself. Let's not forget about these people who could be in the same boat as you. All the big ideas but absolutely no means or idea of how to accomplish them. Those people who's voices are being drowned out by the mediocre people telling them not to try. By the masses of people willing just to exist. Help the people who want to stand up and be heard, actually be heard. Not for race, gender, political stance nor any other agenda but simply for the betterment of the planet as a whole. Every human, animal, plant, every living part of this planet. Somewhere out there, there's a person/child thinking I could change the world if only.... Let's give them the means to get passed the if only.
Paula you have to do this ride now. It's now or never! If you don't do this ride you will never be able to look at yourself in the mirror again!
Yes at first perhaps we were doing it for selfish gains. To improve our lifestyle and that's what has kept us back for so long. That feeling that I am not allowed to be successful. Paula it's through your success with this ride that you can help others succeed.
Success comes in many different forms and it's what keeps playing on your mind at night, the reasons for insomnia. The reason your brain refuses to switch off at night. You know you are not doing anything you were created for.
Make this ride the reason you are alive. Create the hype, don't shy away from it. Go and speak to those kids, go and give them hope to continue to pursue their dreams no matter how bleak it might look right now because you will simply keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will come out the other side.
Teach them to keep learning the lessons they need to learn. Teach them failing is ok. Teach them that not getting back up is the problem. Rocky said it best... It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward!
Teach them about holding themselves accountable. Teach them it's ok to ask for help even though they might not get it. Never stop asking, get answers to those questions. Remember though no one is ever going to do it for you. You have to build it for yourself. Just think how good it will feel once you look back and say I did that.
Not everyone is there to help and not everyone is going to understand so learn to discern the difference. Never allow them to stop you completely even though it might hurt at the time.
Paula this ride is going to hurt, you are allowed to cry but don't ever let it break you. We have already been at the bottom of that barrel. You know what it's like to be mentally broken. You have climbed up now so high you can finally see light again. All those times you were alone not knowing if being alive was the right thing you never took that rode. That climb up and out of your deep dark hole was one that you did by yourself, this ride is nothing in comparison and it will project you onto a different stratosphere.
People won't see you coming but they will remember your name and you will make a ding in the world!