Set goals & reach your true potential

The TRIBE community are fearless, bold and push their limits. The TRIBE Ambassadors embody these values; they are ordinary people who have achieved truly extraordinary things. We hope they will help and inspire the TRIBE community to explore the everyday and be the very best versions of themselves. TRIBE Ambassadors The Tempest Two are passionate about inspiring others to realise their true potential and share their advice on the importance of goal setting.

Often, the barrier between you and that marathon you’ve always wanted to run, the mountain you’ve dreamt of climbing, or the ocean you said you’d sail, isn’t physical fitness, time, or money. It is mindset.

The most valuable thing we have extracted from adventures, isn’t the satisfaction or glory of completion, but something you cannot see, touch, or remember. It is a switch inside of us that can only be flicked, once you have pushed yourself far enough outside your comfort zone. It is the sudden realisation of your own potential. Our tipping point came when we touched land in Barbados, after spending 54 days at sea, on a tiny rowing boat. We arrived physically beaten, brutally tanned, and looking like a pair of castaways. But beneath the drastic physical transformation that only comes with an endurance challenge of that nature, something had changed. The word ‘can’t’ had been removed from our vocabulary.

Since then, we have formed a passion around inspiring others to realise their true potential. Society finds a way of placing a ceiling on what people can and cannot do, and it’s very easy to view this ceiling as concrete, rather than as paper. Once you realise you can smash through it, the sky really is the limit.

So how do you put this intro practice? For us, the first step is simple. Set a punchy goal. Without a specific goal to work towards, it is impossible to keep motivated, train effectively, and get yourself out of bed at the crack of dawn. The power of goal-setting is enormous, and it should be your first step. Sit down with a pen and paper, and write down a big goal you want to achieve within 12 months. This isn’t time to be conservative, if you can run a half-marathon, your goal is a marathon. If you hate swimming, do a triathlon. Push yourself, make it tough, and commit.

Secondly, do something within the next 24 hours to get the ball rolling towards that goal. This could be an email, a deposit, telling your friends. One, small action that begins a series of steps towards the finish line. This will act as a trigger, and an obligation to yourself.

Thirdly, build habits. What we mean by this is creating small changes in behaviour that allow you to achieve your goal. If you need to run in the mornings, put your kit out the night before. If you want to learn a language, use an app for 30 mins every lunch break. Small, achievable habits, that over time will become a crucial factor in your success.

Finally, back yourself. All of the above is useless unless you truly believe you can achieve your goal. There will be people who put you down, and who will cause self-doubt. Screw them, use that negativity as a fire beneath you, and as a catalyst to push on and succeed.

This isn’t just words on a page, we have lived this process, and it has lead us to the far corners of the world, completing things many thought were impossible. Our next adventure, climbing El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, will put this to the test more than ever. However, we are confident we have what it takes to reach the summit, and if we don’t, we will learn and come back stronger.