THRIVE: Purpose, Passion, Performance Reflective guide

Going SOLO

Becoming comfortable in your own company and with your own thoughts is a focus of THRIVE. The immersive solo experience was an opportunity to do this in an organised, safe and distraction free environment. After experiencing the guided solo many people crave to reproduce the experience. Below are some helpful tips for getting the most from your solo experience: • Pick a place to conduct the solo. This should be in a natural environment that you feel comfortable with, a place that is safe, that you have permission to be and somewhere you are unlikely to be disturbed by others. • Ensure you have appropriate equipment that is suitable for the weather conditions and terrain. • Tell so mebody reliable what you are doing and where you are going, tell them what time you will finish and that you will check in with them at that time. • Ensure you have food and drink supplies (but not too much to distract you). • You may consider taking a first aid kit, insect repellent and sunscreen. • Take a mobile phone but we suggest turning it off while on the solo. Your reliable friend should be briefed to come and get you if there is an emergency while you are on the solo. • Take a stopwatch and set an alarm for the end of the solo. You should resist looking at the time during the solo. • Do not take any digital distractions, books or magazines. “Human beings have always employed clever devices for running away from ourselves. We can keep ourselves so busy, fill our lives with so many diversions, stuff our heads with so much knowledge, involve ourselves with so many people and cover so much ground that we never have time to probe the fearful and wonderful world within. By middle life most of us are accomplished fugitives from ourselves.” Kevin Cashman Leadership from the Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life (1998).

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