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Yesterday I asked folks on LinkedIn what they thought was the greatest danger I faced whilst on my bicycle expedition cycling from Siberia back to England.
The options were:
1. Wild animals
2. Disease
3. Bad people
4. Other (specify in comment)
Over half of the respondents chose bad people (57%), followed by disease (20%) and wild animals (16%).
The answer is actually in the video below!
Cycling in Australia.mp4 – Vimeo
Yes, the greatest danger I faced wasn’t any of the obvious ones, but definitely (and it’s statistically true too) the TRAFFIC. All it would take is for a driver who was looking at his phone, or dozing off, and that might be the end of me.
Wild animals and bad people
But I did worry about wild animals and bad people, especially at the beginning of my trip, when friendly Russians told me and my friend Alastair Humphreys that we would likely be eaten by a bear or killed by the ‘bad people’ in the wilderness.
Turned out that the ‘bad people’ in cold, wintry Siberia were amazing, hospitable folks who looked after us so well. And the bears? They were in hibernation!
Bear vs traffic
In my talks I share about how what we worry about (bear) may not be the actual great danger (traffic).
How do we identify the real risks, and not dwell on the false fears? And after identifying the real risk (traffic) – can we then take steps to reduce the risk (in my case, ride in the day, choose wider roads, wear a reflective vest)
What’s your bear?
What’s your traffic?
To read more about my Cycling Home From Siberia expedition, check out these posts How to develop a positive mindset and The depressing-sounding question you should ask yourself regularly.
#motivation #mentalhealth #linkedin #fears #riskassessment #adventures #perceptions