ROdown Blog

Staying motivated - Moventure of a Gentleman

Steve Crombie, Mo Bro extraordinaire, has taken to the outback to learn the ways of a country gentleman, and to raise funds for Movember. This is Part Four of our interview with him about his experiences.

Did you struggle with motivation on your mo-venture? When / why?

The greatest inhibitor to motivation was food or lack thereof. By the fourth day without food I found it challenging to construct coherent sentences and my memory wasn’t functioning very well. My voice carried less inflections therefore limiting effective communication. Not being able to express myself proficiently impacted motivation. However I eventually realised that the difficulty of the journey had nothing to do with my physical capacity and everything to do with my emotional capacity. Most concerns about food were psychosomatic – meaning they were all in my mind. Therefore it was actually necessary to keep motivated to stay alive. The human body is capable of amazing things. I just had to keep on reminding myself.

How did you stay motivated?

I was motivated, by staying focused on simple tasks. I couldn’t afford to freak out as it would have wasted valuable energy and served no purpose. I was motivated with the knowledge that every day I was learning something new about my capacity to survive, and refining my understanding of what the human body can do. It is possible to die in the Pilbara in less than 40 hours with no water – so finding water was a top priority. The human body is more than capable of surviving in the wilderness for around 40 days with no food – however that is presuming the person is not moving. The difficulty with our journey was that we were constantly moving – which meant we were burning a great deal more energy. Simple goals like starting a fire to stay warm, or clearing a patch of dirt to ensure a reasonable night’s sleep also kept me occupied. Every step forward was a little victory.

What advice would you give to other young men about staying motivated?

To stay motivated at a basic level make sure you eat well, exercise often and maintain a high level of hydration. Never lose sight of your dreams, no matter how impossible they seem. Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don’t. Either way you will learn a great deal from each experience whether good or bad. Spend more time with likeminded people who support your aspirations. It is much easier to stay motivated with a supportive network of people around you. Seek advice whenever you need it. Never be afraid to ask questions you believe to be important. Persist. Dream big. Live large. Love life.