I am Sheamus - Very Personal Development

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I’ve been waxing lyrical about Dean Karnazes’ excellent book these past couple of weeks, and it’s got me thinking about other texts I have read in the past that have motivated me. Books that have lit a fire deep down inside; the sort of flame that never burns out. Specifically, what books have gotten me out the front door, and beyond?

I’ve narrowed it down to five. These books are all very special to me.

In a rough chronological order, both in terms of publication date and when I actually read them (note: all links will be via my Amazon.com affiliate):

Travels, Michael Crichton (1988)

We all know Michael Crichton, the author, he who created ER and wrote Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Sphere, Rising Sun and many other popular tomes. Indeed, his books has sold some 150 million copies worldwide. Indeed, in 1994, Crichton achieved the rare distinction of having the number one movie (Jurassic Park), the number one TV show (ER) and the number one book (Disclosure), all topping their respective lists at the exact same time.

But forget all that - even if you hate everything Crichton has ever done, that doesn’t matter. You simply must read Travels.

The opening line - “It’s not easy to cut through a human head with a hacksack.” - propels you into a very different world to the one Crichton typically populates. This is his world, after all; Travels is not a novel. It is not fiction. It’s semi-autobiographical, and a work of two distinct halves.

The first is an engrossing account of Crichton’s time at Harvard Medical School in the 1960s. Crichton graduated from Harvard in 1969 with an M.D., but never practised. His 1969 novel, A Case Of Need, won the Edgar Award and he never looked back. His experiences at Harvard were rich and varied, however, taking place at a time when the medical industry was right on the cusp of several major breakthroughs, and make for excellent reading. Crichton himself has some excellent insights into the importance of the mind/body connection when it comes to a patient’s recovery.

But the real meat of the book occurs in the second section (the actual Travels part) - disillusioned with medicine, Crichton spent fifteen years travelling to the most remote parts of the planet, and deep towards his inner self. From climbing Kilimanjaro, to swimming with a cloud of sharks in Tahiti, having a stand-off with an elephant, and chilling with headhunters in Papua New Guinea, Crichton puts in the kind of effort that would make a Lonely Planet writer hang his head in shame.

In betwixt and between, MC investigates psychics in London, experiments with cactus hallucinogens, auras and chakras, tries life on the astral plane, and offers his thoughts on women and the death of his father.

This is an absolutely fantastic book - I cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s one of those tomes I return to again and again, and I’m due for another re-read anytime now, as it’s been a few years. Put aside anything you like or dislike about Michael Crichton, or what you think you know, and read Travels.

The Beach, Alex Garland (1998)

Alex Garland’s The Beach is one of those amazing books that just plants a seed inside of you and then sits back and watches it grow. The novel itself is a superb; the film adaptation, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, less so (although it does have its merits; the cinematography is quite breathtaking).

But while it is and always will be a great page-turner, it’s what The Beach does to you as a person that makes it essential - it makes you yearn to give everything up and just get out there, travelling the world and living life to the full. Yes, it is a cautionary tale, and the book’s warnings are not to be taken lightly, but, somewhere in the middle, and for a hundred pages or so, you want to live in that world.
Great stuff. The film’s soundtrack also comes highly recommended.

Over The Edge, Michael Bane (1997)

What is it about people from Boulder, Colorado? They always seem to live the coolest lives. Michael Bane, self-confessed couch potato, asked himself, “What’s it like to go to the very edge of the world and look over?”

So Bane, with help from his friends and several pitchers of beer, made ‘The List’.

1. Windsurf Big Air
2. The Kamikaze Downhill Race
3. Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon
4. Whitewater Off A Waterfall
5. Rock Climb
6. Cave Dive
7. Ice Climb
8. Skydive
9. Skate Marathon
10. Dive Really Deep
11. Badwater Death Valley Run
12. Iditarod Bike Rice
13. Climb Mount Denali

And then did them all, one by one. It cost him $30,000 and one girlfriend, but it makes for a heck of an inspirational read.

This is a hard to find book but totally worth tracking down on eBay. Believe me - within a few chapters you’ll be making your own list, too.

Surviving The Toughest Race On Earth, Martin Dugard (1998)

I first became fascinated with the idea of adventure racing during the Discovery channel’s Emmy-award winning broadcast of the 1996 Eco Challenge at British Colombia. At the time like many other people I figured that the Hawaii Ironman and the Tour De France set the benchmark for the ultimate competitive tests in human endurance, but we were wrong. The Eco Challenge provided a challenge that even for the fastest teams could last for five days, during which the leaders would sleep (or, indeed, rest) for just a few hours (or sometimes not at all). Each team, which is typically unisex and made up of four or five members, has to race to the finish via a series of checkpoints that are visible to them via the official course map. It is a true multisport event that could include anything from kayaking and canoeing, to mountain biking, horse riding, inline skating, paragliding, mountaineering, orienteering, zip-lining and, of course, running. A course could be as long as 500km. Competitors ranged from professional athletes to CEOs of global conglomerates and sheep-farmers cum window cleaners from New Zealand.

In his 1998 book, journalist Martin Dugard - who first coined the term ‘adventure racing’ - first reports and then competes in the Raid Gauloises, a multiday event that predates the Eco Challenge by six years is considered by many to be the first proper adventure race. It’s one of the toughest, too, with no set course that forced competitors to rely on their wits and better judgement.

Dugard’s prose is a cut-above the norm and while the book meanders from time to time, his accounts of his involvement in the Raid are gripping and motivational, as it first breaks, then embraces him.

Again, this is a tough book to track down, but do try.

Guide To Adventure Racing, Ian Adamson (2004)

John Howard was the pioneer of adventure racing, but Ian Adamson was the Michael Jordan of the sport.

A professional athlete since 1997, Ian has dominated adventure racing with seven world championship wins, 16 world championship podium finishes, 22 international adventure race championship titles and Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the ESPN X-Games. He is a three time and current world record holder for endurance kayaking (262 miles in 24 hours.) Ian has competed internationally in adventure racing, canoeing, kayaking, orienteering and sailing and was an Everest Award finalist in 2004 and was awarded the Men’s Journal Adventure Athlete of the year in 2006.

He is the only athlete in the world to win Eco-Challenge, ESPN X-Games, Primal Quest, Raid Gauloises, Adventure Race World Championships and Southern Traverse, the “big six” major international adventure races.
(Note: the text above was taken directly from the Wikipedia article on Adamson, which I wrote.)

Adamson’s book, Guide To Adventure Racing, is both a superb account of the history of the sport, but also the definitive A-to-Z instructional textbook for anyone looking to have a go themself.

Which will be you after you watch this video clip.