Pilot Pilot Pilot Pilot yyyyour our our our llllife ife ife ife Welcome to issue no. 5 of Pilot your life. November 2009 A few years ago, while driving through the Adelaide Hills with three other pilot friends, I had a head on collision with an American driving on the wrong side of the road. We were all injured and took considerable time to recover. In my case, I had neck, back, knees, feet and hand injuries. Quite devastating physically, emotionally and financially. I also had to endure months of rehabilitation while at the same time fluctuating through bouts of anger, depression, self pity and resentment. However, I had survived an accident and it could have been worse. So to help myself through this, I decided that one of the first ways to begin overcoming adversity was to count my blessings. I wrote down as many positives that I could think of, the first being that we were all alive. My plans for the next few years had to be put on hold while I was recovering. However, to progress beyond this devastating life event I had to set myself a goal. I decided that to help my rehabilitation I would prove that nothing was going to slow me down permanently. I was going to walk Tasmania’s Overland Track – a six day eighty kilometre hike from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair.

Like for my flight around the coastline, I planned and prepared. I worked out at the gym to strengthen my leg muscles, did weight training in order to carry my backpack, and I walked kilometres with my pack to increase my stamina and endurance. Setting and achieving my goal aided my healing process. Taking my time on the track meant that I was really able to appreciate the country that I was walking through and to photograph its many moods. In retrospect, maybe this was the accident that I had to have. I’ve been forced to divert from my original track and alter my course to explore different possibilities that I otherwise wouldn’t have dreamt of. Sometimes adversity is just a strong crosswind blowing us onto our new heading.

Pilot Pilot Pilot Pilot yyyyour our our our llllife ife ife ife So, my next great tips for how to pilot your life (personal or business) are: Overcome adversity by first counting your blessings. Then set and achieve your goals so you can get back on track.

Two of my presentation topics are: Surviving an accident/Overcoming adversity Setting and achieving goals To experience a little bit of the Overland Track, email me at fran@franwest.com and I'll send you a photo which you can use as your desktop wallpaper. Visit: www.franwest.com Phone: 61 8 82706623 Email: fran@franwest.com for speaking engagements, purchases and the first four issues of the newsletter. To see more of this challenging walk while you're waiting for the next newsletter, the following is available from me at fran@franwest.com. Tasmania’s Overland Track – DVD A movie presentation of over 260 photos (without captions) highlighting the magnificent mountain terrain of the six day eighty kilometre walk from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair in Tasmania’s World Heritage wilderness. Discover the many moods of the track as it passes through forest and moor land, alongside peaks and waterfalls, and reveals delicate wildflowers and secluded creeks. The background music provides a relaxing and peaceful accompaniment to one of the world’s great walks. Duration: approximately 26 minutes. Ideal for people of all ages as a present for birthdays or Christmas. AUD $25.00 plus postage and packaging ($2.50 within Australia, $5.00 for rest of world).

Pilot Pilot Pilot Pilot yyyyour our our our llllife ife ife ife You are welcome to forward Pilot your life to others who may be interested. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you by someone else, please contact me at fran@franwest.com and I'll add you to my emailing list. Bye for now,

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