Confessions of a Wannabe Mountain Biker

I am 43 years old, and I am less than a week away from my first organized mountain bike race.  I will be racing in the novice class...gotta start somewhere.  Many years ago, before age and gravity became my enemies, I possessed a fair amount of talent on a bike.  I had speed, strength, and no fear whatsoever.  Today, I still have plenty of strength, the speed is coming back, and the fear...well...I'm

AFRAID!!!

Not afraid of crashing or injury...I can fix the bike and pain doesn't hurt (for long).  So, what am I afraid of? 

FAILURE

What if I can't finish?  What if I'm just fooling myself with this racing thing?  C'mon, it's my first race EVER.  I'm not going to try to fool myself into thinking I can win this thing, even in the "novice" class.  My goals are to evaluate my conditioning, to learn how to ride in traffic, and prepare for future events.

But, what if...

In addition to being overly analytical, I can also be kind of...slightly...maybe just a little...

COMPETITIVE

and

SELF-CRITICAL

I've been riding and training alone, so the voice in my head, pushing me, berating me for not pedaling hard enough, or taking it easy on a brisk ride sounds a lot like me.  However, when my legs feel heavy and my lungs are burning and I stand on the pedals and get out of the saddle 10 miles into a ride and tackle that hill, the one I could just as easily ride in an easier gear, the guy smiling and thinking, "Let's do that again!"...that guy sounds like me too.

It's funny, that same guy, in my head, who pushes me, criticizes me, rewards me, he says something else.

"YOU CAN DO THIS!"





Passion

Lately, I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about "passion".  Not that kind of passion.  That passion is good, I like that passion, and I highly recommend it.  I mean the fire in your belly, those things that you really care about, that excite you.


I've become aware of many folks in the workforce who lack any type of passion at all.  You've seen them.  That waitress who ignored your repeated requests for refills.  The WalMart greeter who looks right at you and doesn't even give you a nod.  The Home Depot employee who walks right by you without asking if they can help you find what you're looking for.  I'm not saying they should turn handsprings or sing the menu to you, but, for God's sake, act like you care...even a little bit.


On the other hand, there are also a good many people who go out of their way to make your dining, shopping, or home improvement experience a pleasant one.  They're very good at what they do, they stand out from the crowd...they have passion.  You can't sing the menu to a customer and NOT have passion, am I right?


I have been in the lawn and landscape industry for almost twenty years.  I love what I do.  Most days.  I have a passion for green things, things that grow and bloom...all the time.  Don't believe me?  Come by the house and look at my lawn.  Seriously, check it out!


Some of my other passions?  My wife, my sons, golf, reading, mountain biking, baseball...and, if you've known me for any length of time, you know this one...the Pittsburgh Steelers.  When I get excited about something, biking for example, I believe it's worth it, to me, to put maximum effort into it.  I want to be better at it today than I was yesterday and even better tomorrow than today.


I've learned the hard way that it is beneficial to do the same with love and family.  My wife deserves my maximum effort.  My sons deserve my maximum effort.  I want to be a better husband and father tomorrow than I am today. You can get comfortable and forget the fire, the passion...it happened to me.  My life is better for having realized this.

I feel drawn to people who have that fire (there are only so many times you can say "passion" before it feels weird).  I believe that I'm being put in the paths of people who share my desire to pursue their passions (there it is again).  When I'm surrounded by friends and family who are excited about their lives, their projects, their jobs, it gets me excited about the same things in my life.  These are people who are chasing their desires and dreams, and you can't help but put more effort into your desires and dreams.  I am blessed to be surrounded by these people.

So...what's your passion?  And how are you pursuing it?