Sean Conway, Lance Armstrong and keeping your goals in mind
If you aren’t into running, cycling or swimming, I apologise in advance as there does seem to be a large bias towards these this week. That said, there is always the finance piece to bring you back down to earth…and a discount code for some delicious nut butter too!
TRIBEathlon Podcast
This week we have released the TRIBEathlon podcast episode featuring adventure athlete, Sean Conway. A few of his exploits include being the ‘First’ person to swim from Lands’ End to John O’Groats (a story told in Hell and High Water), the person to complete the ‘Furthest’ triathlon around the UK (as seen in the film ‘The Edge’) and the ‘Fastest’ to cycle across Europe (Europe or Bust).
What I found interesting when chatting to Sean is how little he enjoys his adventures, but how he has turned them into a career that he loves. You can listen to ‘First, Fastest, Furthest’ with Sean Conway here.
What I’ve Been Watching
Years ago, I read Lance Armstrong’s books, and I gave many as gifts as I found them to be truly inspirational. He then went from hero to zero with the confession of taking performance enhancing drugs. If he lied about the drugs, should the entire book be moved to the fiction section?
I feel, since watching ‘Lance’ on BBC iPlayer, I have finally got to the last chapter. It demonstrates quite clearly that Lance was a nasty, self-centred cheat. However, it also reminds us of the incredible things he achieved in sport, recovering from a near terminal cancer and in helping others with cancer.
Steve Jobs & Elon Musk are/were both brilliant in business, but also often not very nice people, and perhaps to get to the top, sometimes that’s what it takes. I am not sure I like Lance anymore, but this documentary has certainly been a fascinating watch.
What I’ve Been Reading
I have listed a few running books here over the months, but I can genuinely say the best running book on technique that I have found is Shane Benzie’s book ‘The lost art of running’. A coach of some of the world’s top runners, it is crammed full of brilliant stories alongside tips on how to improve your running technique. A must for anyone even vaguely interested in running.
What I’ve Been Eating
As a kid I never really got the weirdly dry textured paste that was called peanut butter. As I have become more focused on my health and the quality of the nut butters have improved, I have come to love them; but not just any. One of the best I have found is Pip and Nut, initially created by Pip in her kitchen. I love all of their products, love the fact that they are palm oil free, and I particularly love their flavoured nut butters like coconut almond butter and their maple peanut butter. If you want to give them a try, use the discount code TRIBEATHLON15 and you’ll get 15% off your first order.
Quote of the Week
“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.”
- Lance Armstrong
Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering
What I loved about chatting to Sean Conway in my TRIBEathlon podcast was the clear focus he has toward his goals. To set clear goals to be the first, fastest and go the furthest was a significant reason for him achieving such incredible results.
The same applies to our financial future. If we set clear goals, we know where we are aiming, and thus much more likely to get there. As they say, if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. Knowing exactly where you are going allows you to make better financial decisions with an eye to the future. That is the power of having a clear financial plan, and then revisiting those goals regularly.
At Efficient Portfolio we give our clients The Efficient Goal Planner to help them keep a clear focus on their goals. Please feel free to use this template too and let us know if it helps you!
