Doing it scared – Paul Pritchard’s speaking tour set to motivate and inspire
We all go through hard times – it’s just a fact of life. You might be in a rut with your job, have just eaten your way through a nasty break-up or be feeling a bit down about your appearance, for example. Challenges can really suck when you’re facing them, but at the same time it’s all about growth and perspective. One man who knows this all too well is Paul Pritchard, one of the world’s most adventurous mountaineers. After suffering a catastrophic accident while scaling Tasmania’s treacherous Totem Pole back in 1993, this incredible man went up against some pretty slim odds (and gnarly injuries) to return to the site 18 years later and complete the climb that nearly killed him. If you want to figure out how the heck he did it, his speaking tour at Metro Arts on Thursday July 6 is a good place to start.
As you may have gathered from the above passage, Paul Pritchard is a pretty remarkable human being. If you happened to be at the Banff Mountain Film Festival earlier this year and caught his contribution Doing it Scared, you’ve probably already had your mind blown by a portion of Paul’s story. This tour takes audiences back to where it all began – Paul’s upbringing in Thatcher’s Britain, his early inspirations and of course, the accident that changed the course of his life. You really won’t believe your ears when you hear about how insanely long and gruelling Paul’s recovery process was and continues to be, let alone how he maintains such a positive outlook.
This speaking tour comes with an extra dose of inspiration, in the form of the ticket sales going towards a very special project. Proceeds from the show will be going towards the World Expeditions Lowest to Highest, a trek that will see Paul and four of his mates riding human powered trikes from Australia’s geographical lowest point at Kati Thanda to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko. This is the first time the journey has ever been attempted, but it comes with an extra twist – the five men involved all have significant disabilities. We’re talking cystic fibrosis, paraplegia and legal blindness here, which will probably make you feel like a bit of a sook if you’ve ever bailed on the gym because you had a blister.
If you could use some extra motivation in your life, be sure to pick up tickets to Paul Pritchard’s speaking tour through World Expeditions. For those who aren’t sold yet, peep our interview with the man himself and then try to tell us that you’re not impressed.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.