EPISODE · Nov 29, 2019 · 1H 52M
Dave Cornthwaite - Say Yes More
from LifeDoneDifferent.ly · host Neil Witten & Ray Richards
In this episode, we talk to Dave about:the importance of articulating a vision when you're working in a teamthe move from graphic designer to Adventurerthe move from adventurer to community leadernot wanting to wait for the bad thing to happen before making changes to his lifebeing a fortunate kidhaving 18 different addresses by the time he was 18 (because his Dad was in the RAF)not needing to make long-term friends because he was going to move onbeing physically and mentally bullied at schoolwhen football isn't enoughplanning his suicide feeling there was something important inside waiting to get outthe deliberate act of escaping home so he could grow upbeginning to understand the importance of long-term relationshipsunderstanding that nobody else cares what you do, you have to make it happenuniversity life becoming a football entrepreneur becoming a writer, storyteller and maker of small filmsteaching himself graphic design so he didn't have to make the trip across townbeing lost/having no directionfeeling there was something more to lifehis 'crossing the threshold' moment the first step being late for workunderstanding he had a negative approach to live starting to say yes instead of nostarting to explore the town in which he livedthe benefits of a cardboard programmerwanting to impress himselfhis habit of not spending very muchthe skateboard that became the turning pointbreaking Jack Smith's world record for the longest journey by skateboardunderstanding it's not what you earn, it's what you don't spendunderstanding that the feeling of being alive comes with higher highs and lower lows and that it's worth itthe importance of taking small steps / one day at a timethe importance of focusing on what you want to achieve NOT what you want to avoidpost-trip book writing depressionthe joy of being in naturefinding the things that bring him joy in lifeturning pub ideas into realityten years living out of a rucksackcombating post-expedition depression with expedition 1000 - having the next thing to look forward topaddleboarding the Mississippi with alligatorswild camping Yestival, a festival where people share their stories of adventure.how one step leads to anotherwhy an 'existing life' isn't enough https://sayyesmore.com/
What this episode covers
In this episode, we talk to Dave Cornthwaite who, a few days after we spoke to him, turned 40. Dave is an Adventurer and Community Leader and he'll be something else soon. Fifteen years previously, on the morning of his 25th birthday, Dave woke up at home in Swansea and spoke to his cat Kiwar. He had a 10 hour a day Playstation habit (Dave not Kiwar), a job he hated and a girlfriend he didn't like. Despite having everything he'd been told a successful adult needed. He didn't see any reason to be around. He was in his words . . . a loser. That was the moment . . . the moment he decided to swap negativity for positivity, the moment he decided to say yes more. Very quickly Dave was exploring Swansea on a skateboard . . . his first-ever skateboard. This was the start of a journey that lead very quickly to him breaking the world record for the longest journey by skateboard. . . Perth to Brisbane . . . 3618 miles. Many adventures have followed including paddle-boarding the Mississippi with alligators and Marathon DeSable, the world's toughest race. Many more have followed. It would be wrong to assume that Dave's conversation with his cat was a turning from which everything panned out just fine. What Dave has experienced is 15 years of real adventure . . . and all that comes with it. Dave has learned that the periods he feels most alive will inevitably be followed by periods of gloom . . . like long hangovers. But . . . on balance, Dave considers the ups to be worth the downs because he knows a 'just existing life' just isn't enough. "My mother went through all that pain bringing me into the world. The least I can do is make the most of life" Dave Cornthwaite
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Dave Cornthwaite - Say Yes More
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