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How To Achieve The Impossible with James Golding #302

Oct 11, 2022 2h 12m 27 insights
CAUTION: Contains themes of an adult nature. Today’s guest has survived cancer twice and been hit by a truck at 70mph. By all accounts, he shouldn’t be here. Yet James Golding has gone on to be a world record-breaking endurance cyclist – and raise £4 million and counting for charity. He now believes that anything is possible and we can each achieve anything we set our minds to. If you’re feeling lost or lacking in motivation, you need to hear what this man has to say. During this powerful conversation, James talks us through the timeline of his life so far. From his initial cancer diagnosis to the emergency surgery which gave him a survival rate of just five percent. From recovery against the odds to a horrific road traffic accident. And through a second bout of cancer and treatment, followed by depression that was even harder for James to overcome. James’ account is moving and honest, with a thread of such positivity and resilience running through it. We explore where this comes from and why he turned to his incredible cycling challenges as a means to give back to those who cared for him. James has a remarkable ability not to get disheartened by setbacks – and he’s experienced some pretty major ones. His attitude, he tells me, is that you should always move forward. Take one small step at a time, but keep an eye over your shoulder to remember where you’ve come from. It’s this fluidity that I think gives James such strength. Words that could seem trivial or clichéd from someone else sound anything but when he shares them. He really does embody the term inspirational. When we recorded this conversation, James was about to embark on the Race Across America or RAAM – the world’s toughest bike race covering 3,100 miles in nine days. And his plan was to win. Unfortunately, an untimely bout of Covid sadly derailed his hopes in this year’s race– but I feel confident he’ll somehow use this as a jumping off point to achieve even more. This is a remarkable life story that I hope will leave you feeling inspired to take positive action in your own life. Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version: https://amzn.to/304opgJ, US & Canada version: https://amzn.to/3DRxjgp Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/302
Actionable Insights

1. Own Your Unhappiness, Drive Change

If you are unhappy with your situation, recognize that you are the only one who can create change, rather than expecting others to do it for you. This change might hurt initially, but it prevents future regret.

2. Believe to Achieve

Cultivate a mindset that believes you can be the best at what you want to do and achieve anything you set your mind to, as this collective belief drives common goals.

3. Seek Professional Help

If you are struggling, seek professional help, even if you weren’t ready for it previously, as it can be the catalyst for personal change and improvement.

4. Live Authentically

Stop behaving in ways you think are necessary to fit into an industry or society, and instead strive to be the person you truly are, even if it means shedding old connections.

5. Set Micro Goals for Progress

When facing overwhelming challenges, break them down into the smallest possible, achievable goals, and focus on ticking those boxes daily to slowly get better.

6. Move Forward, Reflect Backward

Always move forward by taking one small step at a time, but regularly look back to remember your journey and where you’ve come from to appreciate your progress.

7. Reflect on Life’s Achievements

Regularly sit and reflect on what you have actually achieved in your life, beyond material possessions, to recognize your accomplishments and value your progress.

8. Recall Innate Ability

Remember your innate ability to achieve difficult things, like learning to walk as a baby, to overcome self-doubt and pursue new goals with confidence, utilizing your accumulated life experience and available resources.

9. Communicate Your Ambitions

Communicate your ambitions and goals to those around you, overcoming the fear of judgment, as they might offer support and help you achieve them.

10. Mission-Driven Decision Making

Establish a clear, aspirational mission or goal, not necessarily for external measurement, but to serve as a guiding principle for making decisions in your life.

11. Beyond Defining Moments

Actively work to move beyond past traumatic experiences or defining moments, choosing not to let them solely define your identity, but rather to acknowledge them as part of a larger, evolving story.

12. Discover Your Happy Place

Identify an activity that serves as your ‘medication,’ ‘freedom,’ or ‘happy place’ – something that helps you mentally and physically, even for a short period, to improve your overall well-being.

13. Embrace Gradual Change

Understand that significant personal change rarely happens in a single ‘flash moment’ but rather manifests gradually over time through consistent effort and small steps.

14. Push Beyond Limits

When faced with a perceived physical or mental limit, recognize that you often have a choice to push past it, even if it means following someone else’s lead to take the next difficult step.

15. Prioritize Happiness Over Cost

Evaluate significant life changes like moving or changing jobs by weighing the financial cost against your overall happiness and potential benefits, such as more family time and better sleep.

16. Act Now, Prevent Regret

Make necessary changes now, even if they are difficult, to avoid looking back in 10 years and regretting what you ‘should have changed’ or ‘could have done differently’.

17. Address Core Needs

In sales and potentially other interactions, prioritize understanding what someone truly needs over what they merely express as wants, as this leads to better matching and satisfaction.

18. Complete Challenges Fully

If a challenge is interrupted, consider returning to the very beginning to complete it fully, ensuring you achieve the original scope of your goal, rather than just finishing from the point of interruption.

19. Cultivate Gratitude from Adversity

Consciously shift your perspective from anger and unhappiness about past adversities to gratitude, recognizing how those experiences may have opened doors to unforeseen opportunities and positive outcomes.

20. Incremental Physical Challenges

Focus on tiny physical improvements, like wiggling fingers to operate a bed button, and then incrementally challenge yourself, such as seeing how long you can sit up, to regain strength and mobility.

21. Acknowledge Non-Linear Progress

Understand that progress is not always linear; even if you take three steps forward and two steps back, you are still moving forward overall, and setbacks can provide opportunities for reflection.

22. Make One Small Change

Identify and implement just one small change in your life today that could make a difference, as this single action can initiate a larger process of improvement.

23. Gradual Physical Progression

When pursuing a new physical goal, start with the smallest possible action, like walking a short distance of a desired route, and gradually increase intensity or duration over time to build resilience and avoid discouragement.

24. Pause and Reflect on Triggers

When a smell, vision, or other sensory input triggers a memory, pause to reflect on that past experience and what it was like, using it as a reminder of your journey and progress.

25. Don’t Be Disheartened by Setbacks

If you experience a setback or a day where you achieve less than your recent best, don’t get disheartened; remember you are still further ahead than when you started your journey.

26. Inspire and Empower Others

Share your story or experiences to inspire others to improve their own lives, or to empower them to help and support others in their journeys, creating a ripple effect of positive change.

27. Continuously Pay It Forward

Continuously pay forward the support and inspiration you receive, recognizing that small impacts on individuals can lead to massive positive changes in a wider community.