To continue on the theme of finding physical endeavors to challenge yourself and improve your physical fitness, I came across a story of a man named Goran Kropp. This may be one of the most astounding stories of physical accomplishment I have ever heard. Goran is a man from Sweden who decided one day out of the blue that he wanted to ride his bike from Sweden to the Himalayas, climb Mount Everest, and then ride his bike back. If that isn’t amazing enough he carried all his own equipment by himself from Sweden and climbed Everest alone without oxygen. If you know anything about climbing Mount Everest you will know that very few people do it without oxygen, but then to do it alone after riding approximately 7,750 miles on a bike seems utterly impossible. Most people would have called him crazy and said it was impossible. But he set his mind to it and accomplished his goal.

This can put our everyday attempts at general fitness improvements into perspective. How can so many people complain and make excuses about going to the gym and working out a few times a week? How can people find it so hard to make minor changes in their diet that would result in drastic physical improvements? I understand that these all seem difficult at the time. Everyone deals with challenges on a daily basis, both physically and psychologically, that need to be overcome. But using a little inner strength can create a truly magical life. If Goran Kropp can accomplish such an unbelievable feat, you can do anything you want.

Goran Kropp was 29 years old, when he started his journey. He began his journey on October 16, 1995 from Stockholm, Sweden on his way to Nepal. Along the way he rode through Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, before finally arriving in Nepal. The total journey to Mount Everest took five months. Throughout his journey he carried roughly 150 pounds worth of equipment, everything he would need on his journey except food, which he purchased along the way. He did this completely alone.

Along the way he had to deal with many run-ins with the local people of the towns he was passing through. He was hassled, attacked, and stolen from, among many other encounters, but none of this deterred him from completing his ultimate goal. This is a kind of perseverance that few can relate to.

He accomplished his goal of reaching the summit in mid-May of 1996, staying at the summit for only four minutes because of lack of oxygen. Again he did this completely alone, without any fixed ropes. Upon climbing down he hopped on his bike and returned home.

As I have stated so many times, you are capable of more than you could ever imagine. If you set your mind on achieving something and truly commit yourself to the completion of your goal, you will find a way to accomplish it. There are many other inspirational stories in the world of people accomplishing seemingly impossible feats from Roger Bannister running a sub-four minute mile to Robert McKeague completing an Ironman at 80 years old. This should hopefully make you think about everything you have done in the past and reassess if you truly committed yourself to greatness with every opportunity you had.

Live a life without any regrets or unfulfilled dreams. Everyone is capable of living the life they desire. It is just a matter of being totally committed to excellence and not having the thought of failure in your mind. The minute you start to question the possibility of accomplishing your goal the minute doubt will start to creep in and sabotage your attempts towards achieving your goal. Don’t allow other people’s limited thoughts and beliefs affect your pursuit of greatness. Be willing to ignore the thoughts of others and be completely confident and committed to your own beliefs, which are the only ones that matter.

The worst thing that can happen in life is you fail. People are so afraid of this one little word that it can be completely debilitating, preventing people from ever taking risks. A failure is nothing more than a learning experience. Some failures have greater impacts than others, but if you are willing and capable of taking a step back and examining the experience and learning from it the likelihood of failure the second time around will be reduced. The truly great people in the world have failed hundreds of times, the only difference is that they get up and try again. If when you fell off your bike for the first time when you gave up, you would never be able to ride a bike. No matter what happens, get up and try again. Sooner or later you will accomplish your goal.

Start today by accepting the fact that you might fail, but set a goal that you are committed to accomplishing. Then devote as much time and effort as possible to achieving your goal. Stop making excuses and stop complaining. Anytime you want to give up draw inspiration from someone else’s achievements. Next time running a 5K seems difficult think of Goran Kropp climbing Mount Everest alone. Dig deep down inside and find the motivation and strength necessary to complete your task. Lead a life of greatness. Achieve everything you ever dreamed of. You are capable of more than you could ever imagine. Good luck.

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