Imagine running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. Sounds crazy, right? Well, that’s exactly what Mostafa Salameh hopes to achieve in the near future. This 7-7-7 challenge is going to push him further than he has ever gone, as he has never run a marathon in his life. Quoting Picasso, Mostafa explains his crazy dream like this: “Everything you can imagine is real, at least if you work hard enough. If you want something, the whole universe will conspire to help you achieve it. But you have to believe in your dream 100%. You cannot have 1 single doubt.”
Mostafa knows what he is talking about. He is one of 16 people to have climbed all Seven Summits and conquered the North and the South Poles. This is amazing in itself, but Mostafa also always aims for contributing to a good cause with his adventures. Whether it is in support of cancer patients, the visual impaired, or people with disabilities, Mostafa loves to do good with his love for adventuring. This combination is what makes up his passion.
How to #thinkbig, #daretolearn & #takeaction
Mostafa obviously has a real #beapirate spirit. He never hesitates to set himself big goals, learn everything he needs to learn in order to achieve them, and to put in the time and effort required. Mostafa knows his WHY and WHAT he wants to achieve. He doesn’t always know HOW he is going to succeed, but he knows how to figure it out.
“You can learn anything you want online. You can gain any knowledge. Just need to want it enough.”
– Mostafa Salameh
School is important, Mostafa stresses, but there is so much more information out there, freely available to anyone. To prepare himself for the seven marathons, he reads about marathons, talks to people who have run marathons, and practices his running abilities every day.
The most important aspects to focus on, however, is to gain mental strength: “You need a strong mind to achieve anything. 70% is mental effort, 30% is everything else.” For that reason, he prizes discipline very highly. “Follow your heart, and let your mind do the work,” he says, and “tell people about your dreams. This will make them believe in them as well.” Because the more people believe in your dreams, the more real they become and the easier it will be to stay motivated and go where you want to go.
Keeping Up Motivation with Mostafa Salameh
What motivates Mostafa to do the crazy things he does is his passion for helping people and seeing the joy and gratitude of the people he has helped. It has been a red thread in all of his life, and he is very grateful for being able to combine is joy for helping others with his joy for exploration.
Gratitude is a strong principle for Mostafa. One of his favorite quotes describes his life approach quite well: “The past is history, the future is a mystery and the present is a gift – that’s why they call it the present.” To keep himself going, Mostafa has made it a practice to appreciate the small things in life. When you’re climbing the highest mountains and achieving the craziest things, it brings balance to life to see the beauty in the everyday.
The last piece of advice Mostafa wants to share with young people who are just starting on their journey to reach their biggest goals is the following:
“You have a brain in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You are your own self. You know what you know now and you are the one who decides where to go. It is ALL up to you. It doesn’t matter what everyone else is saying or doing. It is JUST UP TO YOU.”
Watch Mostafa’s whole talk below for more insights and awesome inspiration. And then go do what you believe in, and appreciate every step of the way. That will take you further, higher and faster than you think possible.
