Did you see the report about James Kingston, the British free-runner, and his ‘jaunt’ up the Eiffel Tower? Reports say that he had wanted to do this for some time.
“The 25-year-old daredevil originally found fame two years ago when he dangled from a crane in Southampton and posted footage of the climb online. Since then, Kingston has scaled industrial chimneys in Germany, cranes in India and Los Angeles and the Wembley Arch”. Telegraph
He completed the climb of 324 mtrs without any support – no ropes or harnesses, just skill and determination. Kingston has previously revealed that his “urban explorations” are often unplanned. “Everything I do is spur of the moment,” the freeclimber told Telegraph Men. “The constant change of direction keeps me going.”
Snuggling in on the Eiffel Tower
He goes on to say –
“For 99 per cent of the population, hanging off a building would be dangerous, but I’m skilled at it. And I’m very safety conscious. You either do it right or you don’t do it at all.”However, he is anything but reckless and indeed is adamant that he is not, although, as noted, he maintains that the actual events occur on the ‘spur of the moment’.
“People see the videos and think it looks dangerous, but what they don’t see is the years of practice that go into my stunts. I trained and trained to be able to do what I do. I’ve trained the danger out of the situation.” Telegraph
His conversation reveals several universal truths and listening to him when he says,
“I used to be completely terrified of heights, but the more you do something, the easier it gets. It’s simple human nature,” we hear echoes of countless mentors and guides who are dedicated to the constantly urging their charges to push forward to success.
About to ‘flip’ on the Moscow Bridge, Kiev
Talking about a previous climb on the Moscow Bridge in Kiev where he did a flip at the top of the bridge, he said,
“When you’re that high up crazy things happen in your mind. I’ve done thousands of somersaults, but at that moment my brain took over and I thought too deeply. I had to wait for five minutes and get rid of the negative thoughts before doing the flip.
“There are many times in life when your brain restricts you. I knew deep down that it was safe and I just had to get control over my body and my brain. In a way, beating the instincts of my brain is what I live for.” Telegraph
Again, when he talks about ridding himself of negative thoughts before doing something particularly challenging he shows that he understands and has had experience of the toxic effects of negativity on behavior. One assumes that he is as familiar with the opposite – that is the healing effects of positivity.
Interestingly, Kingston cites a fear of heights as a driving force behind his stunts. “I tried to think: what scares me? The answer was being high up. I moved up from there.” Telegraph
Well – there is an incredible amount of resonance here for anyone who is involved in an activity that demands dedication, and positivity to name but two of the attributes considered desirable when building a business. The fighting off of a negative mind-set, the importance of understanding possible pit-falls and planning for them, the ability to spurn failure and not over-analyse action and the imperative to move out of one’s comfort zone if success is to be experienced. All of these are mirrored in both worlds – that of an extreme sportsman or risk-taker (call him what you will) and that of our world – the world of the entrepreneur, another type of risk-taker, perhaps.
So – to round up: How about these?
- The more you do something the easier it is
- You either do it right or you don’t do it at all (Open to debate?)
- Prepare properly and so as to avoid obvious errors
- Don’t let your brain over-power you. Don’t over-analyse.
- Move out of your comfort zone if you want to succeed
Please comment or add to these in the comments box. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
barsyb thewebwoman No system has value unless it is used to its highest possible potential. Your article was a delight to read.
thewebwoman Thank you. It is so great to get feedback. This system has more benefits that raising your visitor numbers!
mindset is the key to achieving great things. your mindset will allow you to step out of your comfort zone and grow.
“That which we persist in doing becomes easy to do; not that the nature of the thing has changed, but that the power to do has increased.” Heber J. Grant. I see it all the time, people who look at a task and decide not to do it because it looks to hard from the outside looking in. I tell my internet marketing students that everyone starts out knowing little or nothing about this and have no clue where to start. This is where a great teacher or mentor comes strongly into play. They can give their student a step by step duplicatable process that takes them from the ground floor to the top of the spire safely and successfully.
Great article, Barbara.
No matter what anyone would say to me i would not do anything like that.To move out of your comfort zone is important though to prove to yourself that you are capable of many things in life that normally just pass you by.
great post and very enjoyable reading.
Don’t let your brain over-power you. Don’t over-analyse – this one has a tendency to get me….. i am a work in progress.
in our business over the past ten years as the market has evolved we have had to literally force ourselves to do different things in order to keep going and achieve the successes we have had, it is so easy to continue doing that which we have always done so – this makes timely and excellent reading which can be applied to personal life, relationships, business and other areas of life 🙂
Some excellent advice about getting out of your own head and pushing through your barriers. We all have talents that we excel at.
A well written article. It reminds me of how I do my daily tasks, I always think of the mnemonic KISS an old army saying that I holds true – Keep It Simple Stupid! If its simple you will easily complete it without over thinking it
A huge achievement. But not for me. I’ve been struggling with a curb. Fortunately, I can use your good tips in everyday life
Know what you mean.