“Action is a great restorer of confidence. Inaction is not only a result, but the cause of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all”. – Norman Vincent Peale.

As part of our Scott’s Teambuilding intra-personal programme, delegates have the option to abseil over the 10 storey high Shongweni Dam Wall. The post activity review dialogue goes like this;

• What did you physically do which convinced you to go?

I put the harness on.

• Once the harness was on, what happened in your mind?

I was committed to go.

• Then, what was the most difficult part of the abseil?

Taking the first three steps.

• And after that, what happened?

It became easier…. I got into it; I started to get excited!

• And how did you feel at the bottom?

I felt great! Awesome! I DID IT! A huge sense of ACHIEVEMENT!

If you think about it, this could be applied to any task in life. If you really want to go forward, accept the fact that you have to make a genuine DECISION to proceed. Not a wish, a COMMITMENT.

The most difficult part of any challenge is the first few steps, before you gain the momentum you need to complete the task.

This is where the venture becomes exciting, and having completed the challenge, you feel great within yourself. That is where most of us want to be – feeling good within ourselves, boosting our self-esteem, improving our self-worth and receiving recognition for our success.

The final question we ask is “what effect does this have on the people around you?” Your successes motivate and inspire other people within the team to do likewise. If you are surrounded by achievers, you will start to think and act as they do.

Roger Bannister set out in May of 1954 to run the mile in four minutes. Every scientist claimed the human body could not attain this summit. He did it, and within one year, 27 other people had done the same. They chose to think and act like him. We’ve heard this before, “If you can do it, I can do it but you go first”.

Follow the steps above and YOU can lead the way and inspire the rest!