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Winner This Issue is Sean Nolan
Student from Aberystwyth
The Importance of a Healthy Mindset
After re-reading the brilliant Ted Simons Jupiter’s Travels, one particular passage caught my attention.
Whilst writing about his time in Central America, he spoke about how he became obsessed with reaching
California and a rest. Because of this, he writes that he felt that he lost sight of the journey, allowing his
travelling to manifest into being about the destination, not the journey. I realised how, despite only
spending six weeks away on a much smaller trip, Ted Simon was raising a point that had occurred to me
during the long hours spent inside my helmet pondering.
Picture the scene; riding down another long, dark street, we both realised that we were heading further
and further from any potential campsite. We slowly weaved deeper and deeper into the sprawling mass of
the port city of Algeciras. Nervous and uncomfortable at the sudden exposure to the industrial city at night
after our slow ride though the mountains of southern Spain, our geographical uncertainty only added to
our uneasiness. Mopeds with too many exposed arms and legs buzzed around street corners and ladies in
short skirts and high heels plyed their trade from the pavement. Following a sign for the coast this road
was deserted too, devoid of any lighting at all, leaving us feelings increasingly more lost. Both of us began
losing patience, and clashed heads frequently over the next hour until we finally saw signs for a campsite,
and arrived, in the lowest of moods. I miserable evening was ended in the tent. After a rest the next
morning, we realised that we had let our mood affect the night. If we had taken to the time to stop and
think “ok, it’s late, we’re tired, we still need to find somewhere to sleep, but hey, we’re in the south of
Spain on a motorbike, its fine!”, then perhaps the evening would have been different. Yes we would still
have been lost, and yes, we would still have been in the wrong end of town at the wrong time of night, but
I am a strong believer of the idea that your mood and mindset colours your day as much as what you see
and hear. Whilst that night was not our worst night in terms of events, for we have had other days and
nights that warrant that title, our mental attitude at the times means that, looking back, we would both
agree it was possibly the worst night on the trip. For future problems, from flat batteries to broken spokes
to running out of petrol and facing the prospect of a long walk, we would stop, smile, think “God this is
going to be long” or “I can’t believe the battery is dead again!”, but whenever it got too much we would
stop for a minute, admire the view, talk about life, drink a coke and carry on. If we had met each new
problem with the same frustrated “why isn’t everything going my way” attitude, this mental state would
have taken over everything we did, and coloured every memory we made. Therefore, the importance of
being in the right frame of mind cannot be overestimated!
An exclusive heavy duty Conti bike cover is on its way to you Sean congratulations!
If you want to be in with a winning chance send your thoughs to [email protected]