Tim Bradshaw - Because I Can

Tims book is a compelling read for anyone interested in learning about resilience at the coalface, based on real-life stories and tried and tested lessons about how to manage pressure, stress and adversity. Tim takes the reader through an incredible range of experiences in some ferociously challenging situations, drawing out lessons which uncover important human traits and behaviours that can be applied to almost any personal or professional situation.

Cath Bishop author of The Long Win

I loved this book. Some really practical tools to enable you to face those challenges head on.

Mandy Hickson author of An Officer Not a Gentleman

Practical tips to help anybody learn, improve and develop. This book will make a positive impact on your mindset, and help you bring a solutions-focused mindset to any challenge you face. It is unlikely you will face enemy fire, experience an earthquake whilst on the side of Mount Everest or attempt to tackle a stage of the Tour de France. But the lessons Tim shares from his diverse experiences can help you when facing your own enemy, mountain or gruelling endurance event. Tim can because he decided he can. Can you?

Colin Gregor Scottish Rugby 7s Captain

First published in Great Britain by Practical Inspiration Publishing, 2022

Tim Bradshaw, 2022

The moral rights of the author have been asserted

ISBN 9781788603027 (print)

9781788603041 (epub)

9781788603034 (mobi)

All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The publisher apologizes for any errors or omissions and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.

To Dad, whose mantra was KBO. I will, Dad.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: MAKING IT WORK

H ave you ever been presented with a challenge that on the one hand is exciting and yet on the other fills you with dread and self-doubt? Have you ever been offered an opportunity either at work or at home that will require you to step firmly outside of your comfort zone? This book gives you a toolkit that will help you accept those challenges and rise to those opportunities. It wont make the challenge any easier or less daunting, but it will enable you to create resilience and overcome the hurdles that stand in your way.

If youre like me, when youre faced with a challenge, your initial reaction is to catalogue all the entirely practical reasons why you are not the right person for the job. You make very reasoned and sensible arguments as to why this challenge is better suited to somebody with more time, more experience, someone younger, or older. In other words, you focus on why you cant do something, rather than why you can.

This is true for us as individuals, but its also true for organizations. How often have you sat in a meeting where the focus is on why something wont work? Or when somethings gone wrong, the meeting might be all about finding whos to blame. The copy all email chain is often a way of hiding behind colleagues to avoid taking ownership of a situation, with all the risk that entails.

If you want to see challenges differently, so that you can achieve more and fulfil your full potential, you probably already know that youre going to need to change your mindset. But how?

Throughout this book we will focus on tools and techniques that give you the opportunity to make the best decisions you can and deal with situations and challenges as they present themselves. You are going to build a toolkit that can be adapted to any situation, and every challenge.

Throughout my life and career, I have wrestled with two conflicting demons. The first is a sense of overwhelming despair, the black dog of depression, which means I dont want to get out of bed in the morning and can see no way forward. The second is an internal drive to prove myself, to show that I can achieve whatever I set my mind to. They may seem contradictory and often they are! The result is that I volunteer for some ridiculous challenge, only to struggle to see how I could possibly see it through. It might sound unhelpful, but this inner conflict has forced me to focus on developing skills and tools to help me not only get through but, wherever possible, to thrive.

The skills and tools that I describe in this book are a collection of those that have worked for me in some of the highest pressure and most serious situations that anyone can expect to face. I dont claim to have designed them all, but I have tested them on the battlefields of Afghanistan, in an earthquake on the side of Mount Everest and whilst navigating a startup company through a global pandemic!

Nobody is born resilient. You acquire resilience with experience, determination and through failing. You cant shortcut the process or go on the resilience course. And its not something thats a one-time deal you have to find resilience for each new challenge. Every time you step out of your comfort zone, wanting to quit makes you human. Not giving up is what makes you extraordinary.

Whether your personal challenge is to climb Mount Everest, run your first 5 km or take that promotion at work, this book will equip you with the tools you need to succeed. They can be applied anywhere and at any time, and Im living proof!

#BecauseICan

The so what?

This is a very simple question that we dont ask ourselves enough. Whenever we make a statement either written or verbal, we should always consider the so what. Perhaps some of the best examples of this are LinkedIn profiles or opening lines in CVs. So many of them state facts, for example: as a student I was a member of the university rugby team. Why is this relevant and what does it mean for the person reading the profile? We often write profiles or pitches for ourselves stating the facts that we think are impressive or that we have worked hard to achieve. What we should be doing is asking ourselves who is the audience and how is this relevant to them?

You often see pitches for new business or sponsorship that start with the history of the company or individual concerned. Is this relevant and what does the audience gain from it? As an example, I will use some extracts from my own LinkedIn profile. Im certainly not saying it is perfect, but it will give you an idea.

I have always had a passion for the mountains and skiing. I have spent many hours amateur ski racing and teaching people to ski. Id like to add this into my profile as it represents a part of my character and personality. But now as a director of an international leadership and keynote speaking company, how is this relevant? In other words, what is the so what?

Under the experience or interests section of my profile (if you dont know what Im talking about you had better get yourself across to LinkedIn!) I could simply write: ski instructor or loves to ski in the mountains.