MARK GIBSON
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ABOUT MARK

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 I try to do fun things I can't do... YET!
               
And then I share what I learn
​

​Sometimes I succeed... sometimes I fail, but I always get a good story!
HOW THIS ALL STARTED
Several years ago a precocious ten year old put me in my place. He annoyingly corrected my old gymnastics coaching cliché by arguing the point that there, in fact, "was such a word as can't." Because coaches were no longer allowed to kick a smart Alec in the butt and send him off to do push ups in the corner like in the good old days, I was forced to become more creative in my motivational techniques. It was then that I started to insist that my athletes complete the sentence.

Now, instead of saying, " I can't" they now had to say "I can't... yet!"

This small mind shift transformed my coaching style.

It also transformed my life.

Knowing that kids are always more motivated by what they see adults do than what they hear them say I decided to take my own advice to heart. So I compiled a list of 99 things that I could not do...YET!

Then I asked myself three key questions:
  1. why can't I do these things right now (what are the obstacles)? 
  2. what would I need to do to overcome these obstacles?
  3. is the reward worth the effort and if so, am I honestly willing to do what it takes to overcome the obstacles?

If the answer to question #3 was "yes" then the "thing" stayed on the list. if the answer was no then I replaced it with something else. Finally I had a list of 99 things that, in the words of Howard Thurman, made me come alive.
Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive and do that.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive

To inspire more kids than I ever could in one gym I wrote a book (Going For It, #13). and traveled all over North America (#91) speaking to thousands of kids. I spoke in gyms from Key West to Seattle for groups as small as a dozen to my biggest audience (so far) of over 5000, (#1).
WHAT ALL THIS MEANS TO YOU
As I toured the country speaking, three core principals began to emerge.
  • the CURIOSITY to wonder "if?"
  • the AUDACITY to ask "why not?"
  • the TENACITY to see it through
It became clear that this was a mantra that could help more than athletes. Soon I was getting requests to speak to Chambers of Commerce and other professional groups. Now, thousands have heard my "I can't... yet" message and the CAT philosophy that supports it. Everyone from corporate CEOs to teen athletes have been inspired to develop their own "CAT" culture and start doing the things they can't do.. YET!
To learn how Mark can bring his message to your next event CLICK HERE
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            #15 0f 99 (See how far I can run in 24 hours)
THE LIST

99 things I can't do...YET!

Red = DONE
#1  Speak to 5000 people at once
#2  Surf in Bali
#3  Bicycle 5000 miles round Europe 
            
#4  Wheelie a bicycle
#5  Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
#6  Travel the world for a year and half

#7  Visit Timbuktu
#8  Visit a Nazi concentration camp
#9  Earn CSP (certified Speaking Pro')
#10 Visit the Taj Mahal
#11 Hike in the Himalayas

#12 Be a stuntman
#13 Write a book and sell it
#14 Take mum on a U.S. road trip
#15 See how far I can run in 24 hours

#16 Be a voice over actor
#17 Make $100 in one day busking
#18 Punch a nail through a board
#19 Mountain bike Slickrock

#20 Run the Ultra Trail of Mount-Blanc
#21 Run a 100 mile ultra marathon
#22 Run the JFK50 (oldest and biggest in US)
#23 Run across Pennsylvania

#24 Climb Kilimanjaro
#25 Sea kayak in Maine
#26 Build a tree house

#27 Swim 100 miles along the FL Keys
#28 See the Mona Lisa
#29 Canoe the Everglades
#30 Drive across USA in a VW camper

#31 See the Aurora Borealis
#32 Bar crawl Deval St, Key West
#33 Live on the beach in Thailand
#34 Do Amsterdam on the Queens birthday

#35 Learn three good magic tricks
#36 Go zorbing
#37 Explore an abandoned building
#38 Run a marathon on the Rocky steps
#39 Do a back flip on a bike
#40 Ride Enfields across India
#41 Run the Marathon Des Sables
#42 Run a marathon on the Brooklyn Bridge
#43 Drop in on a skate ramp
#44 Skateboard DC to Ottawa, Canada
#45 Base jump Bridge Day
#46 Meet a celebrity socially
#47 Make a fixtie bike
#48 Be a standup comedian
#49 Flip and catch on a Trapeze
#50 Raise $100,000 for charity
#51 Learn to home brew my own beer
#52 SUP around Manhattan
#53 Run 52 miles on the Delaware tow path
#54 Run a marathon on ice
#55 Bicycle Pittsburgh to Philly
#56 Go bungee jumping
#57 Climb El cap or Half Dome
#58 Walk a highline
#59 London to Paris human powered
#60 Run the Pikes Peak marathon
#61 Experience Beethoven’s 5th
#62 Ride in limo I didn’t rent
#63 Build a café racer
#64 Break a Guinness record
#65 Run the Presidential traverse
#66 Finish TGNY100
#67 Meet a moon walking Astronaut
#68 Run the Ramsey Round
#69 Bike across US with Paul (brother)
#70 Learn to play "wipeout"
#71 Own a Ducati
#72 Bicycle the length of GB
#73 Become a US citizen
#74 Hike an active volcano
#75 Sleep in an igloo I built
#76 Men’s health cover body
#77 Run around the Isle of Wight
#78 Three peaks bike/run UK
#79 Fly in a glider
#80 Extra in a Jackie Chan film
#81 Boulder in an spectacular spot
#82 Race a bike at Bonneville
#83 Start my own business
#84 Bicycle across the US
#85 Learn to shoot an Olympic bow
#86 Bicycle Atlanta to Cape May NJ

#87 Kayak across a great lake
#88 Learn to cook a curry
#89 Motorbike track class
#90 Run the Great Wall marathon
#91 Travel in an RV
#92 Compete in a boomerang contest
#93 Do a Jackie Chan 24hr film festival
#94 Learn to cold read
#95 Drive an Aston Martin
#96 Do a Walmart marathon
#97 Qualify for and run Boston marathon
#98 Blow something up
#99 Double cross the Grand Canyon

HIGH BAR PERFORMANCE
© COPYRIGHT 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • HOME
  • Speaking
  • About
  • VIDEO
  • Contact
  • The Rocky Steps Everest Challenge
  • BOOKS
    • MARK'S BOOKS
    • Look Inside GFI
    • Look Inside "What you can't do... yet"
    • Ordering Books