This week I had the privilege of listening to the message of a remarkable speaker and author, Peter Van Kets.

Peter is an extreme adventurer, a professional endurance visionary, and a leadership consultant who speaks all over the world. His expedition stories of survival, courage, perseverance, passion loneliness, tenacity, amazing teamwork and the will to win. Peter’s presentations take people on powerful life-altering journeys, changing the way they think about themselves and their businesses.

In 2008, Peter Maddie’s name was known in the world of extreme adventure by winning the unsupported world woodvale transatlantic rowi together with friend Bill Godfrey.

Winning the world race was an unprecedented feat.

He followed this remarkable venture with an even more extreme adventure!

In 2010,Peter spent 76 days alone in a 7 metre rowing boat crossing the Atlantic. His epic 5438 km and it kilometre unsupported solo row across the Atlantic was a first for any African, winning him a further award.

Listening to his talk this week was indeed a life-altering experience. There is a reason why his book “Grin and Bear It” has become a number one bestseller.

So what can we learn from extreme adventurers – the pursuers and players of grit beyond any normal human endurance?

In the words of Peter van Kets:

Our ability to achieve success is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step towards this goal of excellence will demand sacrifice, suffering and struggle. It requires leaders who are dedicated, disciplined and infinitely passionate.

For me, GRIT stands for:

* Gargantuan vision accompanied by genuine humility

* Radical Re-programming and discipline

* Infinite passion, immersion and imagination

* Total Tenacity

Peter van Kets embodied this in unprecedented commitment.

He ended by saying that when we are part of something bigger than all of us we step into the realm of making the impossible possible.

Thank you for tribing with me