ADVENTURE + ALIVENESS Page 3 of 18

3 things to do TODAY to make next year different

Posted on 2016-11-29 at 8:55 am.

As we come to the end of the year, it’s only natural to reflect on what has gone before. Did 2016 turn out how you wanted? Did you get closer to your dreams? As the founder of a company called Do What You Love, I am often asked what is the single most important factor in doing what you love. And you know what? I think it’s commitment. Perhaps not the sexiest answer, but it’s the truth.

But what if I don’t know what I want to commit to? You might ask… I hear you. That’s a tough one, right? Well, actually, early on simply committing to stepping forward in the direction of your dreams, is as important as committing to one specific idea. Because those early steps are where the dreams are shaped.

So if your 2016 was frustrating, or depressing, or simply another year of not very much, seeing your friends have the things you want for yourself, then I invite you to join me in committing to making 2017 different. And here are three simple steps you can take to do that:

Commit to doing things differently
Download the (free) New Year’s Revolution toolkit here, and actually fill it in
Tell someone what you are planning. Choose them carefully, and then say it out loud

Are you with me?

Let’s do this!
Beth

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Wednesday Wellbeing

Posted on 2016-11-02 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

“May the space between where I am and where I want to be inspire me.” ~ Tracee Ellis Ross

Yes… it’s that time of the week again – Happy Wednesday!

Friday is fast approaching but if you’re feeling the midweek blues you’re in the right place to be inspired!

Every Wednesday for the next few weeks, a member of the Do What You Love team will be sharing what they’re up to and what is motivating them at the moment. We hope their thoughts get you thinking about what lights you up and how you can make get more of this into your life…

Today founder Beth Kempton talks about making dreams happen…

I have just got back from the USA where I spoke at ‘I Am… Courage – New York City’. I shared the stage with five amazing women who lit up the room with their tales of brave and truthful living.

The six of us actually created that event from nothing – we met at a workshop several months before and decided we had a common message, which we wanted to spread widely. When the event was over, and we had been showered with incredible feedback from the audience, we went to dinner and just sat there looking at each other, grinning. In that moment we realised that we just made something awesome happen, simply by committing to it, setting a date, and then doing the work needed to pull it off. And then we all showed up and spoke honestly and openly, and it resonated deeply with those in attendance.

It taught me that we don’t need other people’s permission to do amazing things. We can make them happen ourselves, especially when we have the support of others like us, committed to a common goal.

My thought of the week: When you’re stuck in a mid-week slump, remind yourself that you have all the power you need to lift yourself out. You just need to commit, and then follow through. You are the owner of your dreams and you can make them real!

Exciting times!

Posted on 2016-10-26 at 10:16 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Exciting times, exciting times, exciting times…

This is what I constantly seem to be saying to Beth at the moment, in fact I have been saying it for the last few months. There is an energy and a level of optimism in what we are doing at the moment that I don’t think we have experienced for a couple of years in the business. Not to say that it hasn’t been enjoyable, far from it, but we seem to be in a position where the foundations of our plans have been laid and all those hours, days, months and years of hard work are paying dividends.

Why the level of excitement? Well, there are a few reasons. Firstly, Beth is realising her dream of writing a book and is working with her dream publisher to bring ‘Freedom Seeker’ to life and out into the world. Stay tuned for more on that very soon! To watch someone so close to you achieve a lifelong dream is a reminder that life is what we make it. (Beth is looking over my shoulder right now and telling me that ‘Life is what you make it’ was her motto in her school yearbook over two decades ago!)

Secondly, the actual writing of the book has provided a fresh focus for us here at DWYL. The world of publishing is new to us but finding out about it, working with new people and learning new skills has been a very enjoyable learning curve.

Thirdly, it became very apparent that to achieve all our new goals we needed some additional help. So it is with great pleasure that I can introduce our newest team member… Fiona Duffy.

Welcome Fiona Duffy – the latest addition to the DWYL family!

We are absolutely over the moon to welcome Fiona into the DWYL family. She brings with her invaluable experience working with The Happy Startup School, an infectious enthusiasm, a huge smile and a refreshing honesty and openness. And she gets it! She really does. She gets what we are trying to do, where we want to be and has so many ideas to help us get there.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the guys at The Happy Startup School for supporting Fiona’s decision to go to part time so she can spend the rest of the week with us, and embarks on the phase of her career and life. You are going to love her like we do!

Recruiting for your own business is often challenging, because when you have a small team you really have to fit together. But sometimes someone comes along who makes it very easy for you. In this case it was a complete no-brainer. Fiona oozes charm, a zest for life and is a huge force of positive energy. Welcome Fiona – we hope you enjoy your role with us!

Thought of the moment

We are all works in progress. Beth spotted this written on a window in New York on her travels last week, and tells me she suddenly felt like the pressure was off. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are works-in-progress, that we don’t have to be perfect, and that every day offers an opportunity to learn and grow. So here’s to you being a work-in-progress too!

Until next time,

Mr.K

On adventure and story-telling

Posted on 2016-10-04 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by Alastair Humphreys. Alastair is an adventurer, blogger, author and motivational speaker whose expeditions have included cycling round the world, walking across India and rowing the Atlantic. Alastair was named as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for his pioneering work on the concept of micro adventures. He has also written five books about his adventures. Find out more here.

“I think the best way to succeed at all of this is to imagine that every Instagram photo is a precious plate photograph, that every Tweet is a polished chapter of a book, that every video on Facebook is a painting I had to sweat over for hours.”

Let me tell you a story…

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On speaking your truth and plans for turning 40

Posted on 2016-09-19 at 5:26 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

How was your weekend? Mine was spent in a yurt in the English countryside, with 150 entrepreneurs talking and dancing long into the night! I was invited to The Happy Startup Summercamp to talk about what it really means to do what you love in business, but feel like I came away with so much more than I gave. It was one of those very special meetings of very lovely humans, which included a lot of laughter, deep thinking, new friends, early morning secret adventures in the woods, late night disco dancing and much more besides. If this is the life of a speaker I am keen for more!

Public speaking is one of those things that so many of us are afraid of, but I know is in my future a lot next year with the launch of my book Freedom Seeker. Rather than getting scared about it, I decided to embrace it with the largest hug that I could. And so I did the only thing there is to do – I flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico a few weeks ago, and took a class in transformational speaking from the one and only Gail Larsen. Gail has trained most of the most inspiring speakers I know – from Gabby Bernstein and Danielle LaPorte, to Kris Carr and Rebecca Campbell – so I knew it was going to be an important experience, but I had no idea just how transformational it would be.

When we arrived Gail asked us what would be a breakthrough for us. I have a good memory and like to be prepared, so although public speaking itself isn’t such a scary thing for me, speaking without a script was HUGE. As in, I-can’t-imagine-ever-speaking-unscripted-HUGE. So that would be my breakthrough. To stand up on the last day and give a 15 minute talk unscripted. And somehow, with Gail’s masterful coaching and brilliant approach, I did it. Not only did I do it, but I LOVED it. Now that’s what I call a breakthrough.I will be forever grateful to Gail and the angels who shared the experience. (I could tell you so much about the precious women who went through the breakthrough process with me, but I’m going to save that for another day, because I have so much to say… not least that we are going to be speaking together in New York in October. Stay tuned!)

But doing something in a workshop and doing it for real are two different things, right? So this weekend I tried it out for the first time at a proper event. In front of 150 people. On a stage made of hay bales, in a beautiful barn draped with fairy lights and bunting. To be honest, it couldn’t really have been more of a perfect place to learn to fly as an unscripted speaker. But I did it, and thanks to the soul-nourishing energy of the lovely people gathered there, I loved it again. It wasn’t easy. I still got nervous. I might do some things differently next time. But I got up on that stage and danced around in my cowboy boots and told some stories and had a bunch of people come up afterwards and look into my eyes and say thank you. So it was absolutely worth it.

That’s what happens when we do the hard things. And that’s why we do the hard things. Because it makes a difference to someone. Even if that person is just you.

This week I challenge you to do a hard thing, and notice what happens. And if you want to try public speaking in a soulful, story-based, self-inspiring way, talk to Gail, go visit her in Santa Fe or take the online version of her class, because she is the master.

And finally… Turning 40 this year? Know any awesome women who are?

I am working on a very cool (currently top secret) thing to celebrate turning 40 myself in 2017, and would love suggestions for people to get involved. Only requirements are: (1) To be female (2) To be turning 40 anytime between now and the end of 2017 (3) To be a lovely human being who wants to connect with other lovely human beings.

Please email me suggestions (name/email/one sentence about them) to [email protected]. It’s totally fine to suggest yourself too, if you fit the bill!

I THANK YOU AND THEY WILL THANK YOU!

PS: Please share with a friend if they might know some awesome 40s!

Have a great week.

Beth

What I learnt at barista training (and it wasn’t just about the hearts and tulips)

Posted on 2016-08-29 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Does it feel like the end of summer where you are? I am sitting in a coffee shop with a steaming cup of tea, looking out at the rain splashing on the pavement. It feels like October, not August today, but inside this cosy café I don’t really mind.

I can’t help looking at the café menu differently today. I can’t help noticing how the sofas are arranged, or how whether the staff ‘bless and press’ as they are making the next cappuccino. Why? Because Mr K and I spent two fun days training to be baristas last week, and learnt all sorts of things about the business of coffee and coffee shops.

We wanted to take a couple of days to do something fun together after many weeks juggling work and family while I was trying to finish my book manuscript. We left the girls with their grandmas (all parties were delighted!) and headed to Limini Coffee in Yorkshire. Over the next two days we laughed a lot, learnt a lot, and drank so much coffee we felt slightly drunk. By the end of the workshop Mr K had proved himself to be a dab hand at latte art, and I had just about managed a thistle-topped mocha and a tulip-topped latte.

Besides learning that the coffee industry is booming (apparently the Recession was the best thing that happened to cafes in years, because ‘a coffee and a cake treat’ is considered by most of us to be an ‘affordable luxury’), we learnt that taking time off together works miracles—besides having fun together, we have both been coming up with idea after idea following our short break away. I also got reminded how at home I feel in nature, having stayed at the lovely old Shibden Mill, surrounded by rolling hills.

This week I challenge you to give yourself a short break, whether it be a whole day or just a couple of hours, with someone you love, to just have fun. If you can learn something new when you are at it, even better. Stretch that brain in new ways this week! As summer is edging away, soak it all up this week (even if that means jumping in muddy puddles!)

I’ll be back next week to share some of the great adventures I’ve been having over the past few months in the writing of my book…

Have fun

Beth

PS Thank you to everyone who has already signed up for the Do What You Love e-course, which we are running in October for the last time this year. I can already tell from the energy of those of you who have signed up that this next class is going to be completely transformational. If you missed it, and feel ready to discover your true passion and do what you love, registration is now open here!

Transform the way you work and play with a big adventure this summer

Posted on 2016-08-15 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Summer is here and that can only mean one thing… it’s festival time!

If you fancy dipping your toe into a brave new world of adventure over the coming weeks and months, take a look at our pick of the best 10 festivals on offer in the UK and beyond…

All set for the Stay Wild Expo

1. STAY WILD EXPO

When: August 26 – 28, 2016

Where: Portland, Oregon

Cost: Free – just fill out a form to register your interest in workshops

Organiser: Stay Wild

Perfect for: Anyone who is passionate about getting out to the wilds.

What to expect: A cool outdoor gear show, food and drink, brands, field trips and workshops including everything from wild swimming and cliff jumping (now sold out) to crafting scents, yoga in the woods, adventure writing, making a chair, weaving a basket from ivy, shaping a surfboard, outdoor photography for women, surfing, a motorcycle trip to the coast and back, more maker things, bird watching, travel by bike to fly fish and more! More info and tickets.

Basecamp Festival

2. BASECAMP FESTIVAL

When: September 2 – 4, 2016

Where: Sabine Hay, Peak District

Cost: Last minute tickets now £139.95

Organiser: Explorers Connect

Perfect for: Those looking to have new adventures with like-minded people

What to expect: A welcoming, relaxed and non-pretentious vibe. By day, exciting off-site activities like mountain biking, kayaking and climbing, and on-site activities like climbing, slack-lining and cool workshops. By night, the chance to meet explorers, hear adventure stories, enjoy great food, dance to live music and indulge in fire pit chitter chatter. More info and tickets.

Two hundred 21st Century Careerists at Escape to the Woods, 2015

3. ESCAPE TO THE WOODS

When: September 1 – 4, 2016

Where: Clayton Organic Farm, East Sussex

Cost: £110 (camping) or £190 (glamping)

Organiser: Escape the City

Perfect for: go-getters, connectors and entrepreneurs who want to escape the day-to-day routine, reconnect with nature and accelerate and celebrate their 21st Century career.

What to expect: A chilled-out vibe by day with inspiring talks, creative workshops, games, and workouts in the woodland. When night falls, enjoy casual chats around the fire pit, open mics, soulful music and dancing under the stars. Food is a highlight here and you can sup everything from real ales to cocktails to quality coffee and take your pick from the pop-up organic food stalls. More info and tickets.

Having a wild time at South West Outdoor Festival

4. SOUTH WEST OUTDOORS FESTIVAL

When: September 23 – 25, 2016

Where: Heddon Valley, Exmoor National Park

Cost: Free though some activities have an entry/booking fee

Organised by: The National Trust

Perfect for: Everyone who’s looking for a fun, action-packed weekend, from young children to adventurous adults. You can even bring the dog.

What to expect: A new outdoor festival which offers something for all ages and levels of skill, experience and fitness. Go hiking, biking, trail running, open water swimming, camping, or stargaze and forage for wild food. Build your own adventure weekend or chill out in the wilderness of the West Country. More info and tickets.

Image credit: Alpkit

5. ALPKIT BIG SHAKEOUT

When: September 23 – 25, 2016

Where: Bakewell, Derbyshire

Cost: £60 (Indivdual ticket) £150 (Family ticket) + optional extra

Organised by: Alpkit.com

Perfect for: The whole family.

What to expect: Active and energetic days with a host of onsite activities, including mountain biking, paddle making, fell running, biathlon and slack lining. There’s also great live music, interesting lectures, adventure films, home-baked cakes and a nice big area with hay bale seats. The evening entertainment which includes talks in cosy yurts and the storytelling workshop with a man named ‘Creepy Toad’. More info and tickets.

Main stage, Women’s Adventure Expo, 2015

6. WOMEN’S ADVENTURE EXPO

When: October 8, 2016

Where: The @Bristol Science Centre, Bristol

Cost: £35

Organiser: Sisters Rebecca Hughes and Tania John

Perfect for: Women (and men!) who are looking for a hefty dose of motivation, resources and information to take on the world, or even the local park!

What to expect: A laid-back, informative and inspiring day packed with spine-tingling tales from leading female explorers like Anna McNuff, Mollie Hughes, Lois Pryce and Sarah Outen, and thought-provoking workshops on adventure writing, planning for independent adventure travel, adventure psychology for women. Chill out in the evening with a craft beer or two on Bristol’s harbour. More Info and tickets.

Wilderness expert Andres Roberts enjoying the great outdoors

7. THE BIG RETREAT

When: October 10 – 16, 2016

Where: The Amiata, Southern Tuscany, Italy

Cost: £745 (flights not included)

Organiser: Andres Roberts

Perfect for: anyone who wants to connect to the land and the natural rhythm of life and explore the questions, challenges and intentions around who they are and what they are here to do.

Expect: An unforgettable experience with three nights spent alone in the wild. You will camp around a beautiful mountain cottage which will be used to prepare organic food and shower after wild excursions, long walks, great conversations and thought-provoking exercises. Activities include workshops, dialogues, T’ai Chi or Chi Gong practices, awareness practices, wisdom teachings. The wilderness ‘solo’ is inspired by ancient and indigenous practice and guided in a gentle and supportive way. You will choose where to spend 72 hours alone in the wild in a marked circle inviting whatever lessons and insights nature helps to bring. More info and tickets.

8. YESTIVAL: The Say Yes More Festival

When: October 21 – 23, 2016

Where: A field near London – secret venue announced later this month

Cost: £155 – £165 depending on how early you book

Organiser: Dave Cornthwaite and the Say Yes More team

Perfect for: Anyone who is looking to change direction in life, to plan for the future, to feel differently about their life right now. Families are welcome.

What to expect: A joyful, uplifting, energy-boosting weekend of positive vibes, inspiring talks, deep discussions, enlightening moments, relaxed workshops, country walks, group hugs, late night dancing and early morning workouts. And you’ll make lots of new friends. More info and tickets.

9. AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE FESTIVAL

When: October 21 – 23, 2016

Where: East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia

Cost: Free but you have to register online.

Organiser: East Gippsland Marketing Inc.

Perfect for: Anyone who wants to immerse themselves in nature.

Expect: A full weekend of adventure events including mountain biking, trail running, and paddling. The aim of the festival is simply to bring together adventurers, and their friends and families, to celebrate the world of adventure in one ultimate festival. And, to do so in a naturally magic, untouched, adventure playground. More information and tickets.

he Australian Adventure Festival will include for locals, Victorians and internationals who love the outdoors. Covering Lakes Entrance, the Gippsland Lakes, the Colquhoun State Forest and plenty of other East Gippsland gems, the festival will be a showcase of what the region has to offer.

The festival program is made up of events for all abilities, and for those wishing to watch on in year one, the Patties Foods Festival Hub will be the place to be on Sunday, October 25. Events, entertainment, activities for the kids and sponsor activations will mean that there is no shortage of things to see and do. The Patties Foods Festival Hub will also be the prime location to watch the finish of the One-Day Adventure Challenge.

BANFF Festival: Image courtesy of Ines Papert

10. BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM AND BOOK FESTIVAL

When: October 29 – November 06, 2016

Where: Banff, Alberta

Cost: Ticket prices vary

Organiser: Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Perfect for: Book lovers, writers who love adventure

What to expect: A showcase of the year’s best adventure documentaries and writing, talks by big names of the outdoor world and the chance to participate in a variety of workshops and classes, plus explore ground-breaking exhibitions galore set within the country’s first national park and surrounded by the towering Rockies. If you can’t get to Banff check out the yearly tour, which travels around 240 locations across 36 countries. More info and tickets.

Where will you be heading for your big adventure this summer?

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning…

Posted on 2016-08-09 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

In 1935 a young Englishman named Laurie Lee arrived in Spain. He had never been overseas; had hardly even left the quiet village he grew up in. He was searching for adventure and chose Spain simply because he knew one phrase in Spanish – ‘un vaso de agua, por favour?’ His idea was to walk through the country, earning money for food by playing his violin in bars and plazas.

The book Laurie Lee wrote – As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning – is my favourite travel book of all time. It made me fall in love with Spain – the landscapes and the spirit – and with his style of travel. He travelled slow, lived simply, slept on hilltops, relished spontaneity, and loved conversations with the different people he met along the hot and dusty road.

For 15 years I have dreamed of retracing Laurie Lee’s footsteps, following his route and seeing his Spain with my own eyes. I knew that it would be a fascinating journey. It would make a lovely story, both as a book and as a film.

But there was one massive obstacle standing in my way. I cannot play the violin, nor any other instrument. A large part of the appeal of Laurie Lee’s experience was that he was singing for his supper, living from hand to mouth, with little idea of when he would next earn some money to buy his next meal. For my own story to feel authentic, I needed that uncertainty in my walk.

And so, for many years, my fantasy about undertaking this journey lingered as nothing more than a dream.

This year I decided to do something about it.

I bought a violin at Christmas, and began learning to play. I have never played music in front of an audience, and it is one of my deepest fears.

I am appalling at the violin! It promises to be a hungry, and deeply embarrassing journey!

This week I head to Vigo in northern Spain to begin following Laurie’s route, on foot, through Spain. I will play my violin to earn the money I need for food. This is clearly preposterous, as I am so bad. It’s terrifying.

But is the essence of adventure not to seek out that which scares you? To risk failure and uncertainty? I will not carry the safety net of spare money or credit cards: it is the violin or bust.

You can follow my journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter*.

I am more excited and more frightened about this adventure than anything I have done for many years. That is a good start to an adventure.

* – Twitter is not the ideal place to follow this trip as each story will get chopped to 140 characters.

Culturally Curious – exploring Cambodia

Posted on 2016-07-19 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post from Claire Le Hur who is cycling to China with her fiancé Stuart Block. The couple started their journey in East Africa and followed new ‘silk roads’ charting the journey of key natural resources as part of an exciting new education project. Claire is riding a bamboo bike, built by an African social enterprise, and Stuart is riding a tandem and he’s keeping the back seat free for those they meet en route. The dynamic duo are raising money and awareness for two great educational charities. You can find out more about their big adventure here.

We saw three different sides to Cambodia, the smallest yet most interesting country in our Asian odyssey. The first side was the remains and memories of the huge and powerful Angkorian Empire 1,000 years ago. The second was the memorials and stories of the terrible Pol Pot regime three decades ago. And the third was a country desperately trying to escape its recent past and powerful neighbours and rebuild itself. Our group ride with United World Schools (UWS) really bought this hime to us. It made us realise how lucky we are and what vitally important work UWS and Beyond Ourselves in Zambia, do. The week we spent with UWS was incredibly humbling.

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Remembering the Tsunami and rebuilding Thailand

Posted on 2016-06-14 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post from Claire Le Hur who is cycling to China with her fiancé Stuart Block. The couple started their journey in East Africa and followed new ‘silk roads’ charting the journey of key natural resources as part of an exciting new education project. Claire is riding a bamboo bike, built by an African social enterprise and Stuart is riding a tandem, keeping the back seat free for those they meet en route. They will also be raising money and awareness for two great educational charities. Find out more about Claire’s big adventure here.

Kind Buddhist monks, stunning temples, beautiful art, nice drivers (except in Bangkok), picture-perfect beaches, rice, dogs, cock fighting, funerals, inspiring stories and finally, some cycle tourists. Our month in Thailand was eventful, colourful and bursting with creativity manifesting in different ways.

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