20 MILES!

Growing up I vividly remember being told in school about the story of Scott and Amundsen's  journey to the South Pole, which took place between December 1911 and January 1912.

What has become known as the Race to the South Pole came about incidentally rather than by design. 

At no time did Amundsen and Scott acknowledge or plan for a race, they both planned expeditions that were birthed out of an ambition to be the first man to reach one of the last great geographic goals of the age, the South Pole.

Growing up in England you can imagine how there was a more romantic spin put on Scott’s story. Scott, who died along with four of his men, was only eleven miles from his next batch of supplies. He became Britain's beloved failure, while Amundsen, who not only beat Scott to the Pole and returned alive, was largely forgotten. 

Over the years my fascination with all things Leadership has brought me back to this story time and time again. The story is a great example of two very different approaches and ultimately two very different outcomes. 

Recently while on holiday I was listening to a podcast which reminded me about one of those very different approaches that lead to, yes you guessed it, a different outcome!

The 20 Mile March is the title of a leadership principle made popular by the author and Leadership guru Jim Collins.

It’s inspired by the two different approaches of Scott & Amundsen. Now the basic story was that Scott and his team would walk hard each day, driving their bodies to go as long and as far as they could in all weathers. On face value that might seem like a fair and reasonable thing to do but Admundsen would walk around the same distance each day regardless of the weather, so on a good day Admundsen and his team would finish earlier than Scotts and simply rest. Obviously the actual reality of this approach was more complex than this with far more nuanced differences however this basic principle was true! 

The big idea of the 20 mile march was the power of ‘consistency’. 

How a very regimented, daily regulated distance, consistently applied will almost always be more successful than the notion of walking till you can’t walk any further; in other words you are walking out of rest and not exhaustion. Something which over a few days doesn’t make a difference but when used over an endurance walk over months it created a ‘winning’ approach.

For those that are interested in a business/leadership perspective it means that by adding a self-imposed rigorous performance mark or target to hit with great consistency every day you will be more successful. The ‘march’ imposes order amidst disorder, discipline amidst chaos, and consistency amidst uncertainty. 

Chances are if you are reading this blog you are a follower of Jesus with a pretty singular purpose in life to try to become more and more like Jesus! It’s a tough task and it won’t see us complete this in our lifetime but it’s nevertheless what we strive to do.

Hebrews 13 v 8 : Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever! 

I would suggest that Jesus is the very best example of consistency therefore if we are trying to be more like Jesus, to live for him, to learn to live like him then consistency is a very underestimated but vital characteristic that we will need. Why? Well Jesus was always consistent.

If you are like me then ‘consistency’ is a constant battle. In my walk with Jesus, I often find myself using the Scott method of ‘binge and bust’ when Jesus would prefer me to use the more restful ‘little but often’ method that Amundsen has become known for. 

Galatians 6 v 9: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 

Underpinning this scripture is the idea of rest through consistency. We can become weary doing good if we are just trying to use the binge and bust method. If we don’t give up but do things in the ‘proper time’ we will reap a harvest.

Consistency in the proper amounts that are sustainable over the long haul are key to our goal to be more like Jesus.

A great example in my own life is on my recent holiday where I put one simple action into daily practice. I did not want my restful time on holiday to include excluding Jesus from my day! I ensured that every day I set one hour for journaling/prayer/time with God. I know that I do bang on about journaling whilst many Christians tend to shy away from this aspect of nourishment for the soul but for me, it effectively helps me to be more focused on God. It also helps me and it gives me quiet times away from the bustle of life, to hear him through the reflection of my thoughts, the scriptures I study and the prayers I have. It is fair to say that I do journal daily as a normal practice of mine but it is far more ‘time effected’ as with everyone of us as the busyness of life has a habit of getting in the way. 

While on Holiday I was encouraged and challenged how ‘Consistency’ could be a powerful weapon.

How consistency brought greater closeness to God. 

How consistency enabled me to listen to and hear far more from God. 

Now, cynical people might be thinking it’s far easier when you're sitting by the beach to do that and I would agree with you. Nevertheless the lesson taught me afresh that carving out a consistent space of silence, solitude and a time of going to sit with my father is still a valuable approach to use. It enabled me to ‘rest’ in him and ‘live’ out of that rest. The amount or length of time was not important; it was simply to be ‘consistent’ to make it a daily concentrated focus that enabled me to walk the required miles each day. 

What miles do you need to walk today?

How many miles physically, emotionally and spiritually?

With a little bit of consistency you can change your approach and get a different outcome!   

by Simon Rushton 26th July 2023