“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S Lewis.

Captain Sir Tom Moore inspired people throughout the UK (and indeed the world) with his fundraising efforts for the NHS in 2020. Sadly, he died of Coronavirus in March 2021 aged 100. Captain Sir Tom would have been 102 on April 30 (this coming Saturday).

The Second world war veteran won praise for his positive thoughts in the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 as well as for the funds he generated through his efforts. He captured the heart of the nation and remarkably raised more than £32 million for the NHS.

It’s fair to say that when Captain Sir Tom set out to do 100 laps of his garden to celebrate his 100th birthday he became a beacon of light in challenging times.

It’s always wonderful to see people start a new chapter in their life and enjoy a renaissance in their later years. The advances in medicine mean that people are living longer. Therefore, it’s possible to experience and do things in our old age that wouldn’t have seemed to be possible 40 or 50 years ago. There are many possibilities for people to explore.

Over the years, I’ve heard many people talk about a dream they had when they were younger or talk with a touch of regret about something that they’ve always wanted or would like to do but haven’t yet accomplished. Only to say “but I am too old now.”

Someone else who achieved something outstanding against all the odds was Cliff Young.  His story counters the limiting belief “I am too old now.”

Cliff Young, was an Australian potato farmer and athlete, best known for his unexpected win of the Sydney to Melbourne ultra-marathon (543 miles) in 1983 at 61 years of age.

What makes this feat even more incredible is the way that Cliff went about winning the race. It’s normally only attempted by world class athletes, who train specially for the event and are typically less than 30 years of age. In fact, it was the first race that Cliff had entered!

When he showed up at the start of the race in 1983, Cliff was wearing overalls and work boots! Everyone watching was shocked to discover Cliff wasn’t a spectator when he picked up his race number and joined the other runners.

He was told that he was crazy and there was no way he would finish the race. To which he replied “Yes I can. See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn’t afford horses or tractors, and the whole time I was growing up, whenever the storms would roll in, I’d have to go out and round up the sheep. We had 2,000 sheep on 2,000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I’d always catch them. I believe I can run this race.”

Once the race was underway, Cliff didn’t even run properly; he appeared to shuffle. Many people feared for the farmer’s safety. The professional athletes knew that it took about 5 days to finish the race. In order to compete, they ran about 18 hours a day and slept for the remaining 6 hours.

Cliff wasn’t constrained by conventional wisdom. He was unaware of this approach to the race. Whilst the top athletes slept, he kept on running! To everybody’s disbelief, Cliff ran the whole five days without any sleep and secured an amazing victory!

Today, the “Young-shuffle” has been adopted by ultra-marathon runners because it is considered more energy-efficient.

One of the things that the coronavirus pandemic has shown us is that life is uncertain and none of us know what is around the corner. Life is fragile and we must seize opportunities when we have the chance. It’s important that we live in the here and now and if we have dreams or desires, we must listen to our hearts and make every effort to fulfil them.

As part of the process, we may have to get clear on any obstacles or limiting beliefs that could prevent us from fulfilling our goals. If we identify something it’s important that we figure out solutions and devise an action plan to overcome them.

We have it in our power to take action to attempt to make our desires a reality. Life is short and none of should allow the possibility to look back on our life with regret at the chances we didn’t seize or the action we didn’t take.

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect and consider if there is something that you dream of doing but haven’t yet accomplished or experienced. Think about if you’re able to take some action to make it happen. If so, what will be your first step?

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk