One barrier to giving up drinking is the feeling that you’re being asked to stop doing something you like. But another way to look at it is that you’re challenging yourself to try a new way of doing things. It may be difficult at first, but when you’ve done it, you’ll have new skills and achievements to add to your list of accomplishments. If you’re the sort of person who relishes rising to a challenge, this can be a helpful way to think about things.  Today’s guest knows something about rising to challenges. Grant “The Axe” Rawlinson is a former rugby player. Rugby can be a rough sport, and making it in that sport is a challenge in and of itself. But when Grant’s rugby days came to an end as a result of an injury, it didn’t stop him from taking on new challenges.  Grant began to pursue other challenging activities, like mountaineering and human-powered travel, which includes activities like kayaking across oceans and cycling across large land masses. He prefers to work with small teams and with as little outside support as possible. In addition to these physical challenges, Grant has also built his own business. He’s a motivational speaker who also runs decision-making workshops.  “One thing I really enjoy about the not drinking is the mental strength that it gives you.”  During today’s episode, Grant talks about his various adventures in mountaineering and human-powered travel. He also explains how he ended up on his own alcohol-free journey. After washing up on the shore in Australia during bad weather near the end of a long-planned and expensive human-powered journey to New Zealand, Grant found himself with some important decisions to make. The latest adventure had left him nearly broke. He had an offer to go back to the corporate world, but he also had a desire to start his own business.  During this time, Grant decided that he couldn’t afford the loss of time and energy that came with drinking. He describes himself as a binge-drinker – someone who wouldn’t miss alcohol if he went a few days without drinking, but who would be the last one to leave the bar if he did go out to drink. Grant explains that when he gave up drinking, his productivity went through the roof.  Grant also describes some of the other benefits to giving up alcohol. It allows him to spend more quality time with his children, and it also gives him another challenge to tackle. Avoiding alcohol gives him another way to push himself and build mental strength, similar to the way you can build physical strength by pushing yourself. Listen to the episode to hear more about Grant’s adventures.  LINKS & RESOURCES:   OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/   OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/   OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/   OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/   OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/   GRANT RAWLINSON’S LINKS:   Grant’s Adventure Blog: https://axeoneverest.com/   Grant’s Public Speaking Site: https://www.powerful-humans.com/