Why the 1%ers all matter.

“Gentle pressure- relentlessly applied” Rodney Sanders (fellow traveler)

In 2011, I was fortunate enough to have a life changing experience.

With an intrepid group of individuals from different parts of the world, I cycled across 10 countries in Africa from Cairo, Egypt arriving in Capetown in South Africa, some 4 months later. There were many times when I was sick with gastro, weakened by dehydration, the body always aching with fatigue; every strip of fat is eroded from you as your body transforms into the instrument it needs to become.

Something happens to your mind too.

It too becomes lean, sharp and focussed.

We focussed on what was most important - it was understanding the route for next day, ensuring sufficient hydration and supplies, bike maintenance, the next hill to climb, the next village to reach, the next pedal stroke….

The same questions floated through my head each day.

What do we need to do today?

What can I control?

What can I influence?

What is beyond my control?

Recognising the above ensured how I, (we) absolutely achieve our goal(s).

Quite often insurmountable problems were broken down into small actions. 1%ers!

One day in Sudan I suffered 14 punctures on a 40 degree day. Each time I’d stop, I’d pull out camel thorns… big woody thorns that had punctured the sidewall on my tyre. Each stop would put me 5-10 minutes beyond my goal.

It was beyond frustrating…

I’d tell myself that all that matters is this moment.

Breath… fix the tyre, get back on the bike…pedal, pedal, pedal.

I’d celebrate the fact I’d go 10 minutes without a puncture. Not the type of celebration I imagined that morning, but I celebrated what mattered most in the moment.

Every pedal stroke was another pedal stroke to reaching my goal. Another 1%er in the bag.

How many 1%ers are out there each day for us?

We can’t always control our circumstance, but we most certainly influence far more than we realise. One thing we can always control is how we chose to see the world, interpret our circumstances and how we see ourselves.

No goal is reached, no accomplishment is achieved, without clarity of purpose and relentless action…

If you always keep moving you will never be a victim, you’ll just be another step closer to your goal.