INSEAD inspire and be inspired

Last night I had the privilege of joining a panel of speakers on the subject of "Inspire & Be Inspired" at INSEAD - part of the Global INSEAD Day. Many thanks to INSEAD for inviting me along and making me very welcome, and to the many people with whom I had great conversations at the cocktail party afterwards. I really enjoyed myself! Here's a link to the event flyer

INSEAD Inspire & be Inspired

840 steps

After a few days in Seoul. back at the training this morning, at the running track with Swee.....mixing things up nicely. at one end of the track there's a set of 20 wide steps, with ramps coming down either side. This was my routine.....up 20 steps, down the ramp on one side, up 20 steps, down the ramp on the other side; repeat x 6, then do a 400m lap... and do all of that x3. That's 720 steps climbed, all done diagonally, which adds a new challenge for me. Step climbing was a bit mixed, but very happy with my walking down the slope (not normally a strong point) and around the track - some of which felt notably more relaxed, smoother and stronger than before. Happy with that!!

Hurtling towards £5000!!!

Wow - over £1300 donated to Spinal Research in the first 6 days. Thanks so much to all those who have donated so far

My 10k Challenge - raising funds for Spinal Research

It's been over a year since I wrote to my group of fantastic supporters. You've given me a ton of support in the past, and I'm going to ask for your help again. This time, I'm asking you to support me in my next big challenge - a 10k walk in December - and to help me raise funds for research into therapies for spinal cord injuries.
 

I have signed up for the Standard Chartered 10k in Singapore on 1st December 2013.  That’s a very big challenge for me - almost double the longest distance I've walked so far, and likely to take me well over 3 hours.

Over the last year the tone and spasticity caused by my injury has has increased, exacerbated by stress from uncertainties and pressures in all aspects of my life. Now I also experience constant neuropathic pain. There have been times in the last 12 months when I have questioned whether my progress has stopped or even gone backwards. I've fallen a few times and sustained  a couple of injuries - nothing serious, but painful and a blow to my confidence. For such a long time my recovery rode on a crest of self assurance that I'd continue to get better. More recently, I've had to learn how to confront doubt and fear. 


But I've stuck at it, and beneath all the difficulty my belief that I'll be fine has stayed intact - tested and battered, but still strong. Over the last few weeks I've had a number of breakthroughs. Things are looking clearer and brighter again, and my confidence is coming back. Signing up for the 10k has helped, motivating me to get myself out walking further and more frequently, and providing a screamingly loud reminder of the benefits of setting goals. Last week, I walked almost 13k across the week, and this morning I did a 5.5k walk - both new records for me, by big margins.  

I know I am very lucky to be able to walk that far - in fact, to be able to walk at all, and to be fully functional and able to live independently. Most people with this injury never walk again and face a lifetime of serious medical complications and care dependency. 

Today, there is no cure for a spinal cord injury. But there has been progress and researchers are getting closer to therapies that would help restore function and transform the lives of paralysed people. I want to support that. I will be raising funds for Spinal Research, a UK based charity funding medical research around the world to develop reliable treatments for paralysis.  
http://www.spinal-research.org


There's a partly selfish motive here - I live in the hope that science might find a therapy that resolves my remaining physical challenges. But I don't know whether that's on the horizon. What I do know is that the work being funded by Spinal Research - and others like them - is getting closer to treatments that will help restore some function and movement to spinal cord injured people. I'd like to help, and this is one way I can do it. 

Please support me in this, by donating to Spinal Research via my JustGiving page: http://www.justgiving.com/Paul-Fairhurst

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity. 

If you want to follow my progress towards the race and on the day, please like my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/paul10kchallenge


Thanks for helping. Wish me luck!

Paul

Balancing and stablilisers

A few shots from a training session two weeks ago - progress on balance, stabilisers and core strength. The last couple of months has been tough on many fronts - so its good for me to be able to see video evidence of physical progress

Stair climbing

a few exercises from last week. working hard on core stability and keeping my knees bent and soft - good prep for the hill climb!

 

My first mountain?

Well, just a little hill, but you've gotta start somewhere, and this is the best Singapore has to offer! 163 metres, 1.7km up (same back down again, not surprisingly). Many thanks to Swee, my trainer, for having the idea. We do it again next week! 

When we got to the bottom, my walking seemed better than its been since the accident - so we took a video! I was really, really happy with this.

Courage

http://positive-thoughts.typepad.com/positive-thoughts/2012/11/courage-is.html

Courage is admitting that you're afraid and facing that fear directly. It's being strong enough to ask for help and humble enough to accept it.

Courage is standing up for what you believe in without worrying about the opinions of others. It's following your own heart, living your own life, and settling for nothing less than the best for yourself.

Courage is daring to take a first step, a big leap, or a different path. It's attempting to do something that no one has done before and all others thought impossible.

Courage is keeping heart in the face of disappointment and looking at defeat not as an end but as a new beginning. It's believing that things will ultimately get better even as they get worse.

Courage is being responsible for your own actions and admitting your own mistakes without placing blame on others. It's relying not on others for your success, but on your own skills and efforts.

Courage is refusing to quit even when you're intimidated by impossibility. It's choosing a goal, sticking with it, and finding solutions to the problems.

Courage is thinking big, aiming high, and shooting far. It's taking a dream and doing anything, risking everything, and stopping at nothing to it make it a reality.

~ Caroline Kent ~

Be unrealistic - I love this

http://positive-thoughts.typepad.com/positive-thoughts/2012/11/be-unrealistic.html

Let's take a closer look at this word, "unrealistic." Was it realistic, in the early 1960s, for John F. Kennedy to proclaim that we would put a man on the moon by the end of that decade?

Fifteen years ago, was it realistic to believe that millions of people worldwide would be exchanging e-mail messages every day? Was it ever realistic to believe that a sheep could be cloned?

As you'll probably admit, all of these things were unrealistic. And yet, all of them were accomplished! Why?  Because certain people dared to "dream big" and took the steps necessary to bring their visions into reality.

Take a moment to think about it. Are there any goals that you have given up on ... or hesitate to pursue ... because you decided they were "unrealistic?"

Here are some ideas that will assist you in bringing your dreams into reality:

1.  You wouldn't have the dream unless you could implement it. The universe does not waste its efforts by giving you the desire to accomplish something ... unless you also have the potential to achieve it. Now, no one said it would be easy! Your goal may take years to attain, and there may be numerous setbacks before you can claim victory.

2.  A positive attitude is the foundation. You can achieve something extraordinary only if you have a dynamic positive attitude and a strong belief in yourself and your abilities.

3.  Don't expect others to feel and see your vision. You may be able to picture your outcome in vivid detail. This is your personal vision. But don't be discouraged when you find that others (even those close to you) can't "tune into" that dream. All that counts is that you see it ... and feel it.

4.  Enthusiasm is crucial. Bold objectives are achieved by those who are "on fire" about accomplishing them. So, are you excited about your goal? When you are speaking about that topic to others, can they sense your passion?

If you are lukewarm about achieving your goal or are just in it for the money, you probably won't succeed. Also, if you are trying to achieve a goal that someone else has set for you -- but your heart isn't in -- you will face disappointment.

5.  Commitment gets the job done. Sure, many people are excited at the outset. But, they quickly lose interest when obstacles appear in their path. And, with any "unrealistic" goal, you can bet that the trip won't be all fun and games.

You're going to face some tough times. Those who are committed have decided that they are in it for the long haul -- however long that haul may take. They usually have a timetable for realizing their dream, but quitting is simply not an option. That's the mindset that achieves the "impossible."

6.  Your everyday progress will look quite ordinary. When you look back at the accomplishment of most "unrealistic" goals, you're going to find that they were achieved by harnessing the power of cumulative efforts.

Thus, if we view a snapshot of each day along the way, no single day's accomplishments would look extraordinary or monumental. However, by making these efforts day after day, the individual created a momentum that propelled him or her to the desired destination. Remember, you don't climb a mountain with one giant leap.

7.  There are no guarantees.  By the way, is there a chance that you could embark on a challenging goal ... and not reach it? Absolutely. But, when you set an ambitious objective and give it your all, you are a winner and can hold your head high regardless of the end result.

So, do you think that you could double or triple your income -- or come up with an idea that could be worth thousands, or even millions, of dollars to your company? Whatever your big dream might be, don't worry that it is "unrealistic."

My Bangkok talk

This is a video of the  talk I gave in Bangkok. Its 30 minutes long, so grab a coffee or something stronger before you sit down to watch!