Banff, July 2012
Getting back on track.
“Think of yourself as a toy train. All toy trains de-rail now and then. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on track.”
-Anon.
It has been quite a while since I’ve checked in here. Admittedly it seems more like I checked out. A lot has changed in the last 6 months, a change so violent it literally shook up my world.
Change, as author and blogger Seth Godin talks about was exactly what I was looking for. In an act that mimicked a teenage revolt, I set out to challenge my beliefs and my integrity in a cross-country cycling tour, solo. ‘Faces for Change Ride’ was completed in July of 2012.
There is quite a bit I need to catch everyone up on. I truly consider this ride to be one of the most amazing things that I have ever done in my life.
So, getting back on track:
Time and time again I find myself waiting, waiting for the right time, the right moments, pausing…trying to think of the best thing to say, hoping for the best outcome. So much pressure mounted in such small decisions proves to be a suffocating circumstance, that you have only yourself, or, in my case, me to blame. Accepting that Responsibility is a huge task. The cure: Start.
I’m very thankful to have my friend, Zach Ford here with me today. He’s got a wonderful blog y’all can check out if anyone is interested in ALL things cycling in the DFW area. Click this link to check it out. He’s the asskicker I needed today to get these thoughts and words onto paper, err blog…whatever.
Finding Forrester
This is a movie I’m very fond of and there’s this one scene that I think sums up my post for today:Writing scene
In this scene, William, the Pulitzer prize winning author is giving his student (Jamal Wallace) a lesson on writing. “Write!” he says. And that’s how you get started with writing.
The miracle of ‘doing what NEEDS to be done’ or ‘doing what you HAVE to do’ is that when you start doing those things, things start falling into place. At least you won’t have to be playing catch-up all the time.
So, moving forward I’ll be talking about the ride, telling stories about the adventure and how it came to a close. At the same time I feel the need to simply write, so I’ll be touching on subjects that concern me currently and how they’re resolved and what decisions I’m making in their regards.
There is a huge air of excitement for me right now, it feels good to be letting go of any fears I had about getting started again. In the back of my mind I always promised myself that I’d get back on track. I just didn’t know how and where. All it took was to take that small step, make a decision and plant the idea firmly in my head that TODAY was the day.
There is a small smile creeping across my face right now. I think I’m smiling because I’m realizing just how easy it was. Such a huge fear powered by months of procrastination and all it took was a tiny step and a fearless thought to squash the paralysis. Then again, it’s very easy to Start or Stop doing anything. Stop eating so much, easy. Stop drinking, smoking, drugs…Start working out, start writing, start anything…all of it is easy-
It’s easy, the trouble is with maintaining it
This is where I’m at today and I really hope I’ll find it in me to STAY on track tomorrow.
Do you have any troubles with Starting or Stopping, Maintaining? Feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss.
