Pen-y-Fan – The First Impossible Goal

“They wanted small, safe targets. And I snapped.” - Simon Clark

In the early days of learning to walk again, the physio team asked me to set some goals.

Something sensible, they said.

Something realistic.

They wanted small, safe targets.

Stand up on my own.

Walk a certain number of steps.

Climb a small set of stairs.

And I snapped.

Because after everything that had happened, after losing everything and being told I’d never leave that hospital bed, those goals felt like chains.

So, in frustration, I blurted it out:

“By the end of summer, I’m going to climb Pen-y-Fan.”

They stared at me like I had just said I was going to fly to the moon.

Then they told me it was ridiculous.

Reckless.

Impossible.

They sent me for a psychological assessment.

I spent hours in that room being told about managing expectations, about the importance of setting realistic goals, about how dangerous it was to fixate on something so far out of reach.

In the end, I smiled and nodded.

I agreed that from that moment on, I would only set realistic goals.

And as soon as I left that room, I called my brother.

“When’s your next day off?” I asked.

“Tomorrow,” he said. “Why?”

“Pick me up at 5 a.m.,” I told him. “We’re going to the Brecon Beacons. I fancy a short walk.”

Pen-y-Fan is not a massive mountain.

But that day it might as well have been Everest.

I dragged myself up that trail, step by slow step.

It took three times as long as it should have.

I stopped so often I lost count.

My body screamed at me to turn around.

But I didn’t.

I got to the top.

I pulled out my phone.

Took a selfie.

And emailed it to the physio team with one line:

“Goal achieved. Now to set something more realistic.”

The walk down was agony.

By the time I reached the car, I could barely lift my feet.

I collapsed into the seat and passed out.

But I had done it.

That was the day I stopped letting anyone else decide what was realistic for me.

THE “IMPOSSIBLE GOAL” CHECKLIST

A guided activity inspired by the climb up Pen y Fan.

1. Identify Your “Realistic Goals” That Aren’t Really Yours

☐ What small, “sensible” goals have other people set for you?
☐ Which ones feel like chains instead of choices?
☐ Which one feels too small for who you want to become?

2. Name Your Pen y Fan

Your first “impossible” goal — the one that scares you because it’s bigger than what others expect.
☐ What is the one goal that feels ridiculous, reckless, or out of reach?
☐ What would it mean if you did it anyway?
☐ What would your life look like after achieving it?

3. Plan Your First Step (Not the Whole Climb)

☐ What’s the equivalent of “calling your brother for a 5 a.m. pickup”?
☐ What’s one concrete action you can do tomorrow to move toward that goal?
☐ Who can support you? Who should not be consulted?

4. Expect the Agony — Prepare for It

☐ What parts of this goal will hurt, exhaust, or discourage you?
☐ How will you remind yourself not to turn around?
☐ What will you do when your body or mind says “stop”?

5. Define the Summit Moment

(Like taking the Pen y Fan selfie and emailing it to the physio team.)
☐ How will you know you’ve reached your summit?
☐ What proof or memory do you want to capture at that moment?
☐ Who do you want to send it to — or keep it for?

6. Rewrite “Realistic”

☐ What old limitations need to be deleted now?
☐ What new definition of “realistic” feels true to you?
☐ What will your next impossible goal be?