Howzit Inkwazi Adventurers!
All the best for 2020 and may all your dreams come true!
A new year not only brings new expectations, but also new opportunities and hope. Like many people, perhaps you have made some new year's resolutions? And like most years, there are always some common themes like; "I want to make more money... I want to lose weight... I want a bigger house."
However, research suggests that most of us will have broken our new year's resolutions by the third week in January. According to the fitness app Strava, who analysed over 98 million uploaded exercise activities, most people will break their resolution on 19 January. - they refer to this as 'Quitter Day'
Some of the main reasons people do not achieve their new year's resolutions are because they are not well defined or measurable, people try and do it all on their own or they find it overwhelming rather than breaking it down into smaller achievable milestones.
Personally, I have never made a New Year's resolution. Nope. Never. Not even once. Why? I don't believe in them. Rather, I believe in goals.
I love setting goals, and set them all throughout the year. I love it even more when I achieve them. (Yes, sometimes I give it my all but still at times I come up short... It happens.) However, I never give up and I always try and do them with family and friends to improve my chances of achieving them.
For example, one of my goals this year is to start speaking isiZulu. What is isiZulu I hear you ask? It is one of the 11 official languages in South Africa, and my goal is to speak it fluently before I am 40 years old.
What are your goals for 2020? Looking for something unique, life changing and guaranteed to achieve? Then I would like to encourage you to join our Inkwazi Adventure community, and be part of our #Bushveld2020 adventure and fundraising campaign. We guarantee, as part of the Inkwazi Adventure community, you will achieve at least one of the following goals in 2020:
Change the life of a young South African student while learning more about their culture, community and world.
Change your appreciation and respect for nature while being immersed on a 4-Day Hiking Safari.
Change your perspective of what you are capable of when you complete one of South Africa's top 2-Day trail running events.
It is not surprising that these three goals are also part of the design behind our #Bushveld2020 adventure.
Goal Number 1: Change the life of a young South African student - #BIKES4ERP
Everyone can take part in our #Bushveld2020 fundraising campaign, and be part of something truly life changing in 2020. There are three ways you can get involved today:
Make a donation of any amount towards our #BIKES4ERP campaign, and help us achieve our goal of delivering 40 bicycles as part of our #Bushveld2020 Adventure. Simply visit our fundraising page to make a donation and you will automatically be part of this special journey. We will share photos and videos of the bicycle drop in May 2020, so that you can see exactly how your contribution has changed the life of a young student.
Create your own fundraising profile, set yourself a fundraising goal, and start campaigning with your friends, family and colleagues today. My personal goal is to fundraise two bicycles ($600AUD). This doesn't mean I have to come up with all the money myself; it simply means I have to talk to others about this wonderful cause and how they can be part of helping students in rural South Africa. It might mean that I have to ask 60 people on my contact list for $10 each. That's not such a big thing to ask, is it? Or, I could ask 30 of my contacts for $10 and ask them to ask one other person for $10... it is all about breaking the goal down into smaller achievable goals.
Join us on #Bushveld2020 and take part in personally delivering these bicycles to the students. This is the ultimate way to experience this special event first hand. Each Inkwazi Adventurer who joins us on the #Bushveld2020 trip, will personally deliver the bicycles to the students, and spend time learning about the remote South African community.
I can honestly say from experience that it is the best feeling when you see the faces of the students as they receive the biggest, and most life-changing, gift they have ever received. Their smiles and words of thanks will stay with you for a long time.
Have a look at this video from the November 2019 bicycle drop to get a sense of this special event you can be part of...
Note: The best thing about this goal is that anyone can play a part in raising funds for the bicycles. Just start spreading the news today.
Goal Number 2: Change your appreciation and respect for nature - 4-Day Hiking Safari
This goal is a truly bucket-list type experience, with a real sense of achievement that will stay with you for a very long time. (And you will be able to share some amazing stories at the next braai, or as you refer to it BBQ, with family and friends.)
To prepare for this goal, I would like to challenge you to start walking about 5km a day for about 3 to 4 days in the week. Yip, that is it. If you have a backpack, pack it to about 8 to 12 kilograms to get used to the weight over that distance. Just the training will get you fitter and feeling better in day-to-day life.
On the 4-day hiking safari, our friend Lutz Otto from Spirited Adventures, will lead Inkwazi Adventurers between 5km to 10km a day at a very relaxed pace. This is not about how far or fast you can walk, it is bout being immersed in the African wildlife experience. We will stop frequently to discuss animal tracks, observe the wildlife in their own natural environment, and learn about the fauna and flora.
The fitter you are in preparing for this goal, the more enjoyable the experience will be. But there is also a bonus goal with this one: read up about the animals, birds or plants you may find in the Kruger National Park. This will add to your hike as you will see the things you have read about in real life.
Have a look at this video from our Facebook page, to hear from Lutz himself about what this experience will be all about...
Note: We will be completely away from any technology (Hooray!) on the hike, so you won't have time to Google whether South Africa has tigers or not. The good thing though is you will have a wealth of knowledge at your disposal from our two very experienced and qualified guides.
Goal Number 3: Change your perspective of what you are capable of - Oxpecker Trail Run
Okay, this goal probably needs the most input in terms of physical effort, but you will feel amazing at the end. It won't be for nothing, I promise you. Once again I will say, the fitter you are the more enjoyable the event will be.
The first day is 20km and the second day is 16km trail run. To get yourself fit for these distances, I believe that if you can comfortably run (or walk) 12km that you will be ready for the Oxpecker. Did you see I mentioned walk. Yes, the Oxpecker Trail Run also caters for walkers, so don't let that stop you from joining this incredible experience.
To get your legs strong enough, I suggest you do enough hill training or, for the walkers, go to a local stadium or train station and climb those stairs. There are quite a few climbs in the race; how else are you going to get to those stunning viewpoints?... Oh and keep an eye out for the Giraffes... where else in the world will you have the opportunity to run among such special wildlife.
This final video will give you a taste of what you will experience during the final magical event as part of the #Bushveld2020 tour...
Inkwazi Adventurers, whether you have new year's resolutions or whether you believe in goal setting, I'd like to urge you think about the above goals and to join us on this life-changing tour. Yes, the three main activities will take all the shine, but the times in between will expose you to the great and diverse South African culture... and you will make some amazing and life long friends along the way.
We are looking forward to seeing you in May!
Cheers.
Cornel van Onselen
Inkwazi Adventure Leader