Quotes from Bear Grylls

So, remember that our goals are reached by how we prepare and train in the many months before crunch time. Train right, and the summit or gold medal will be the inevitable culmination of your commitment. I like that, because it means the rewards go to the dogged rather than the brilliant.

The rewards go to the dogged rather than the brilliant.

Failing is OK. A bad decision is better than no decision.

Life is quite simple: you only get out of it what you put in.

Opportunity will be hidden among the chaos. Storms clean the oceans, winds carry the seeds.

Most people crumble when squeezed, but the champion feeds off it. If I had to pick just one great trait to have in the wild, it would be this: calm in the storm. Develop this trait, even if you don't feel it naturally applies to you. Embrace the dramas whenever you can - in order to practise! Tell yourself: 'I am good in the crisis, I am calm in the storm.' Tell yourself this until it becomes your reality.

Going through this phase, though, did confirm in my mind that at least Shara wasn't marrying me for either my looks or money. I was both broke and bloated. She, bless her, still loved me all the same.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. JOHN 10:10

The mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse,' says Proverbs 10:11 (MSG).

If this journey has taught me anything, it is that sometimes in life you have to stand up for what you believe in, and for what you feel in your gut. Sure, it can be scary, and it requires some courage at times, but worthwhile things never come easy. And the best things in life always require a 'never say die' attitude.

Listening carefully to this voice is how we distinguish ourselves from the rest of the crowd who so often barge through life, too busy or too proud even to acknowledge their intuition's existence.

This quote from T.E. Lawrence means a lot to me: All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.

And finally, remember that light can only shine through broken vessels, and we are all a little broken. Sometimes it is the broken-ness that gives us the fire.

Light can only shine through broken vessels.

But it taught me another big lesson: Don't leave your children if they don't want you to. Life, and their childhood, is so short and fragile.

Bravery is about facing up to the things we fear the most, and overcoming and conquering those fears…or at least quelling them for a while. And the greater the fear, the greater the bravery. But one thing I know for sure: it is only by doing what we fear that we can ever truly learn to be brave.

And the greater the fear, the greater the bravery.

Savor the moments of sheer happiness like a precious jewel—they come unexpectedly and with an intoxicating thrill. But there will also be moments, of course, when everything is black—perhaps someone you love dearly may hurt or disappoint you and everything may seem too difficult or utterly pointless. But remember, always, that everything passes and nothing stays the same…and every day brings a new beginning, and nothing, however awful, is completely without hope.

Trucker and I hoped simply to try and stay "gray men" and not be noticed. To put our heads down and get on and quietly do the work. This didn't exactly go according to plan. "Where are the lads who speak like Prince Charles?" The 23 DS shouted on the first parade when we arrived. "Would you both like newspapers with your morning tea, gents?" the DS sarcastically enquired. Part of me was tempted to answer how nice that would be, but I resisted.

If I had to sum up what happened on that journey for me, from the hospital bed to the summit of the world, I tend to think of it as a stumbling journey. Of losing my confidence and my strength--then refinding it. Of seeing my hope and my faith slip away--and then having them rekindled. Ultimately, if I had to pass on one message to my children it would be this: Fortune favors the brave. Most of the time.

We opened the door and looked at each other. Surprised. It was literally like stepping into a deep freeze. Old iron boats are like that in winter. The cold water around them means that, without heating, they are Baltically cold. We fumbled our way, still all wrapped up, into the bowels of the boat and the boiler room. Shara looked at me, then at the silent, cold boiler. No doubt she questioned how smart both choices had really been.

So there we were. No money, and freezing cold--but happy and together. That night, all wrapped up in blankets, I made a simple promise to Shara: I would love her and look after her, every day of our life together--and along the way we would have one hell of an adventure. Little did either of us realize, but this was really just the beginning.

As Harrison Ford once said: 'Them that stick it out are them that win.

When the ball rolls your way grab it. We so rarely get a second chance. (Although miraculously this does sometimes happen, too.) And remember that life is what you make of it--and that is what makes the possibilities so exciting. -My granny Patsie Fisher