#JoeWalker clocks 4,000km!
By Joe Walker
20 months ago, I was grappling with the doctor’s instructions to try walking to relieve a stubborn pain in the shoulder blade.
The doctor recommended a 30 minute-walk thrice a week.
On the first day I walked for an hour, 5 months down the road I was setting out for a 342km road safety walk to Bushenyi and since then I have walked for 4,000km. And, I am still walking.
Four lessons over the thousands of kilometers
Plan: Taking long effective walks takes a lot of patience, you can’t rush the process. It’s one step at a time. So proper planning and effective time management is key to carving out sufficient time to put in a good walk regularly. When it comes to the real long distance #JoeWalker walks, it’s extremely testing and requires you to be patient, however long it maybe. But like I said, one step at a time will get you there. No short cuts. With a clear plan, it becomes easy to grind it out one day at a time, especially if you break down the long distance into chewable small distances.
Persistence: It’s so easy to give up…especially at the beginning. No one knew me or what I intended to do. When the Police was frustrating me as we tried to get clearance to do the activity, and failed to get any funding before Coke rescued us days to the take-off, it was so tempting to quit. When I witnessed the road crashes, blisters, expensive walking shoes, hunger, and the scorching heat in Lweera and Sanga, the temptation to give up grew. It would have been so, so easy to quit then. But whenever I thought about one family mourning their loved one, children whose lives will never be the same again because of the loss of their sole breadwinner, when I started feeling other people’s pain over my discomfort, when I got a cause bigger than my comfort, I had a bigger reason to push on selflessly through any barriers.
Purpose: A clear and strong purpose will push you beyond your limits. And if your purpose is people-centered and bigger than your personal goals, then you have a reason to get up and take the next step even when common sense tells you it’s impossible. A compelling people-centered purpose will drive your mind to achieve what’s beyond your body’s ability. The body never gets tired, it’s the mind that gives up.
People (Team): Regardless of one’s drive, greatness, purpose and passion, everyone needs a team of people dedicated to selflessly hold their hand to step forward to unleash their full potential. For my case it’s the #JoeWalker advisory team and the only woman who can stand my madness and keeps me calm – my wife.
