Passion

Many people have inspired me to row 100km and make a difference in the world. One person in particular who has inspired me is Roz Savage. Roz is an ocean rower, who is on her way to becoming the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. She has just completed her second leg of the three part journey; this leg started from Hawaii and finished with her arrival at a place called Tarawa. It took her 105 days - totally alone in the ocean and fully self reliant. She displayed amazing determination and perseverance when things didn't go smoothly. What kept her going when the currents worked against her? Why didn't she just decide to pack it in when things were tough and she was tired? So many of us do that - we start something and then get tired, or life gets in the way, or we experience a setback and use that as an excuse to try again...someday.

The secret ingredient is passion.

Roz is driven by her passion. She has a passion for taking on the ocean in a rowboat. And she also has a passion to make a difference; she is bringing awareness to our effect on the environment and that our plastic garbage is killing the ocean. Her passion is bigger than the fatigue, bigger than the frustration, bigger than the fear when things go wrong.

If you want to succeed at something, you've got to have a reason or a passion that is bigger than the things that could stop you from reaching your goal. Something that will carry you through the tough times, the humdrum times, and the scarier-than-hell times. Do you have a reason? Is it big enough?

A friend of mine, Bev, has a passion. She is co-owner of Function Studios Inc. and I gotta tell you, this woman is PUMPED about what she does. She loves fitness and she knows she is making a difference in women's lives through empowering them and motivating them to improve their fitness and self-confidence. To see Bev's face when she talks about her work is like watching the glow of a lantern in the dark. It's captivating and motivating. It makes me want to do better, to try harder. Thank you Bev for inspiring me.

What is your passion? What carries you through the tough times? If you can't think of anything, try to remember the last time you were doing something and lost track of time. What topics are you drawn to when you read a magazine or hear a conversation? What makes you talk faster and sit up a bit straighter?

I believe in the power of education. I believe that knowledge pulls communities out of poverty, increasing the quality and length of the lives of its people (here is one source that links education and life expectancy). The effects of education are long-lasting and far-reaching. Way more than we realize. My passion is to empower people, to be able to give them the tools they need to improve their lives. I may not be able to teach, but I can be a catalyst to provide education for a community that needs help. The end result is worth the pain and effort and inconvenience. It's worth the time and fatigue.

Here's an obstacle I need to overcome - I signed up as a fundraiser for the Plan Canada, Gift of Hope program with the intention to raise $40 000 dollars to build a school in Mozambique. However it appears that this gift is not an option on the website anymore, and I'm inquiring into whether this is still available. Until I hear back from my contact, I have suspended the link to the fundraising page. This will be resolved for the best solution, and I am continuing with the plan.

Update: Although the "Build a School" project is no longer advertised on the Plan Canada website, we have received confirmation that this project is still on-going, and we can continue as planned with our fundraising.

Here is the link to the igo100 fundraising page: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=703649