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Finally, why, you are possibly asking, do people like me do things like this? Why would I want to put myself through such physical & mental grief, pain & discomfort?
Well, it’s very simple really but I doubt if most people who are not involved in an active sport will understand or even accept the reason.
I do it, simply & primarily because I like to ‘live my dreams’ & if you’re going to dream then you might as well dream big. Most people are very happy to dream their lives away, never taking a grip of these dreams or making an effort to live them out. I don’t do that. I live my dreams & I make things that I want to happen, a reality, for me.
But unfortunately, to the question of why, that is too deep an answer for most people & most people don’t understand it & expect a much more simple & tangible reply. They expect to hear that I do it because I love the physical challenge, the blood sweat & tears that go into the achievement of summiting a mountain. They expect to hear that I do it for the same reason that motivates any other person who participates in any sport, be it football, fishing, golf & that it is because I simply love my sport.
Sure I enjoy a good mountain walk like most mountain walkers & the pint afterwards with friends & fellow walkers. That is the everyday, most weekends type of activity that is easy to grasp & understand but the participation in tough Alpine summit attempts, Antarctic expeditions such as this or any other major challenge, is on a different level altogether & these are undertaken simply because I’ve dreamt about doing them & I know that with he right preparation I can do them. So I have my dreams, then I decide to live them out as best I can rather waiting for someone else to kick start me into ‘living’, because that simply won’t happen.
Yes, living my dreams at this level can be a selfish act & also requires some sacrifices & compromises but I’ll gladly accept that rather than be in my wheelchair at 85 yrs of age, still dreaming the dreams & knowing that I did nothing to live them.
I still have big dreams to live out but I also have a plan of action to enable me to do so. Some of these are personal to me, some relate to my family & others to my business & as I live out each one I grow stronger in every respect & I know that I can do almost anything that I care to dream about. For example, I’m not a sailor by any means & have been sick on the calmest of seas but I know that if I really wanted to & dreamt longingly about taking part in a big ocean crossing, I could set my mind to doing it.
I also have a fantastic relationship & marriage of 30 yrs with Joyce who has always been fully supportive of everything I’ve wanted to do in all aspects of my life & our lives together. Joyce has been on 4000mt Alpine peaks with me & is also living her dreams which now relate more to horses than big peaks. We also have 2 sons who as they grew up were always exposed to the outdoors life & they also understand & accept its attractions.
Yes, it could be regarded by some people as irresponsible for someone in my position, with family & business responsibilities to partake in adventures that are undoubtedly riskier than mountaineering in the Alps or fishing or walking the dog. But I don’t fish & I don’t like dogs, but I am motivated & challenged by my big dreams. I can also say that Joyce has never & would never discourage me from living my dreams because she knows what they mean to me & knows that if I couldn’t live them, I’d probably pack up & buy the wheelchair. Should I ever get killed living one of my big dreams, Joyce will know that I’ll have died with a smile doing what I love to do & would accept that as part of the ‘package’. We have a great team of people in our business who are motivated & challenged by their careers & who relish the opportunity of managing the business while I’m away! I hope I may also be an inspiration to some or all of them as they develop.
So now you know why……… or do you?
You can read & marvel about dreams like these in the newspapers almost every day or you can decide, if you really want, to live your own.
Having said that, living out big dreams doesn’t suit everyone, but the only you’ll find out if it’s for you, is to explore the possibility.
Well, it’s very simple really but I doubt if most people who are not involved in an active sport will understand or even accept the reason.
I do it, simply & primarily because I like to ‘live my dreams’ & if you’re going to dream then you might as well dream big. Most people are very happy to dream their lives away, never taking a grip of these dreams or making an effort to live them out. I don’t do that. I live my dreams & I make things that I want to happen, a reality, for me.
But unfortunately, to the question of why, that is too deep an answer for most people & most people don’t understand it & expect a much more simple & tangible reply. They expect to hear that I do it because I love the physical challenge, the blood sweat & tears that go into the achievement of summiting a mountain. They expect to hear that I do it for the same reason that motivates any other person who participates in any sport, be it football, fishing, golf & that it is because I simply love my sport.
Sure I enjoy a good mountain walk like most mountain walkers & the pint afterwards with friends & fellow walkers. That is the everyday, most weekends type of activity that is easy to grasp & understand but the participation in tough Alpine summit attempts, Antarctic expeditions such as this or any other major challenge, is on a different level altogether & these are undertaken simply because I’ve dreamt about doing them & I know that with he right preparation I can do them. So I have my dreams, then I decide to live them out as best I can rather waiting for someone else to kick start me into ‘living’, because that simply won’t happen.
Yes, living my dreams at this level can be a selfish act & also requires some sacrifices & compromises but I’ll gladly accept that rather than be in my wheelchair at 85 yrs of age, still dreaming the dreams & knowing that I did nothing to live them.
I still have big dreams to live out but I also have a plan of action to enable me to do so. Some of these are personal to me, some relate to my family & others to my business & as I live out each one I grow stronger in every respect & I know that I can do almost anything that I care to dream about. For example, I’m not a sailor by any means & have been sick on the calmest of seas but I know that if I really wanted to & dreamt longingly about taking part in a big ocean crossing, I could set my mind to doing it.
I also have a fantastic relationship & marriage of 30 yrs with Joyce who has always been fully supportive of everything I’ve wanted to do in all aspects of my life & our lives together. Joyce has been on 4000mt Alpine peaks with me & is also living her dreams which now relate more to horses than big peaks. We also have 2 sons who as they grew up were always exposed to the outdoors life & they also understand & accept its attractions.
Yes, it could be regarded by some people as irresponsible for someone in my position, with family & business responsibilities to partake in adventures that are undoubtedly riskier than mountaineering in the Alps or fishing or walking the dog. But I don’t fish & I don’t like dogs, but I am motivated & challenged by my big dreams. I can also say that Joyce has never & would never discourage me from living my dreams because she knows what they mean to me & knows that if I couldn’t live them, I’d probably pack up & buy the wheelchair. Should I ever get killed living one of my big dreams, Joyce will know that I’ll have died with a smile doing what I love to do & would accept that as part of the ‘package’. We have a great team of people in our business who are motivated & challenged by their careers & who relish the opportunity of managing the business while I’m away! I hope I may also be an inspiration to some or all of them as they develop.
So now you know why……… or do you?
You can read & marvel about dreams like these in the newspapers almost every day or you can decide, if you really want, to live your own.
Having said that, living out big dreams doesn’t suit everyone, but the only you’ll find out if it’s for you, is to explore the possibility.
posted by Kevin Dempsey at
9:25 AM
