Following a dream, one step at a time

What we can all learn from one man's walk across Australia

On April 2nd 2006, Frank Muldowney from Dublin embarked on an epic 6000km walk across the continent of Australia. If this wasn’t difficult enough, he’s pushing a wheelchair the whole way.
Updates on Frank’s expedition featured in past editions of Next Steps, but as the end of Frank’s walk approaches, let’s look at what we can all learn from his incredible journey and what is possible when you step into taking action towards your own dreams.

Frank’s story itself is an inspirational one. In 1985, age 19 Frank suffered a brain haemorrhage. The wheelchair that Frank pushes across Australia is not only a reminder of his own past, but it symbolises the problems and difficulties that we all face from time to time.
After Frank’s brain surgery in 1985 he had the idea to take all his heroes and loved ones, and put them all into a wheelchair to assist him with his recovery. All these figures like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, ML King combined to form ‘Harvey’, the invisible character that sits in the wheelchair accompanying Frank every step of the way.
From Frank’s perspective ‘Harvey’ is the good that's in everyone, is the dreams that we all have, is the hope that's in our hearts, is love and peace and harmony.

What’s important to you?

From my perspective Frank’s journey prompts me to ask two powerful questions:

• Who (or what cause) do you care so much about that you would across Australia for them?
• Most people go through life pushing their dreams and ambitions out in front of them (just like a wheelchair) when are you going to step into them, live them?

Frank’s walk is important to him because he wants to raise people’s awareness about what each of us can do to enhance the quality of our own lives through living our dreams, and in turn enhance the quality of the lives of others around us. We are used to hearing bad news as it gets far more media coverage than good news, but for each act of aggression or violence there are hundreds if not thousands of acts of caring and love.

Perseverance

No matter goal we are working towards, there will be setbacks. After 64 days of walking, Frank was in the Nullarbor desert in Western Australia when he collapsed, suffering an epileptic fit. After some soul searching he felt it was wise to call a temporary halt to the walk and return home to Ireland to be checked out. But as is so often the case, when you persevere and demonstrate your dedication to a task or goal, the universe conspires to assist you. Since that frightening turn of events, amazing things started to happen for Frank.

He fell in love, and recently got engaged to be married. He met Jackie at a hostel where they were staying over the Christmas period. And of course he wouldn’t have met her unless he was in Australia, living his dream.

In Melbourne a few weeks back he met the Dali Lama who was visiting the city. Frank has become something of a media personality in Australia having featured on many radio and TV news bulletins. He has met the Irish Ambassador in Canberra and most of the major towns and cities he passes through hold some sort of reception for him and his growing team of supporters and fellow walkers.

Small actions regularly taken will have a massive effect.

Frank walked between 20 and 25km a day. Success comes just one step at a time. What is the one action you could take today, that with perseverance could lead to an incredible result or achievement? Our future is shaped by today’s thoughts and actions.

Teamwork

There are limits to what each of us can achieve in isolation. Like all great accomplishments, Frank’s walk across Australia would not have been possible without team work, the dedicated band of friends who supported him and believed in his mission.

What can you do?

Frank is not seeking financial support for this walk. All he asks is that people tell others about his journey and visit the ‘Belieivng in Harvey’ website, where you can post a blog entry. But perhaps most importantly he would like people just to take a moment and reconnect with what is important to them in life and what their dreams and aspirations are.

If one individual lives peacefully, and performs simple acts of kindness, the amount of peace in the world has expanded. Like a touch on the surface of water, the ripples will spread.
It is our responsibility to make a difference. It is our responsibility to make peace, first in our own hearts and then with those around us.

Frank’s journey across Australia is scheduled to finish later this month (Sept. 07) in Byron Bay. More details on Frank Muldowney’s ‘Believing in Harvey’ walk across Australia is available by clicking here.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”
Churchill

 

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