One of the hardest things for us to do is to give something up. Heck we have a hard time getting rid of things we do not even want or care for let alone the things we enjoy.
It was not easy to lock up my road bike and not ride at all this year. It was actually a very hard thing for me to do and took some time to mentally be okay with it. Probably as the last time I had to do that, it took almost 10 years to be able to get back on the bike.
This time around I am listening to my body a little more and being proactive so I can be back next year.
My physio did suggest I should try riding a mountain bike around the city as the geometry is a lot easier on my back and hips. He did make it very clear that they should be casual rides – I must have not been listening at that point in time. 
I am so so so happy, as he was right. I putter around town with the mountain bike and it feels good to be just on one.
Than it happened, the darn ego and the desire to have more kicked in.
Thought to myself, well I should try actual mountain biking.
I had no idea how hard this sport is – not just physically but more so mentally. I have gone approximately 6 times onto the trails and 5 of those times came back with some blood on me.
The last one made me think about sticking to the roads and just enjoying the calm riding that I ‘should’ be doing.
What was amazing was that every fall I took, was not due to the lack of physical ability but all of it was a lack of mental belief that I can.
This was the start of the bruising. And the lack of ability to take full breaths.
Going down the mountain and it just kept getting steeper and more rocks kept appearing.
The path went narrow and I lost focus for one second and thought to myself, if I were to fall those rocks would hurt and I could fall off the cliff. Well guess what happened as soon as those thoughts entered my mind.
Those darn rocks hurt and lucking I did not go over the cliff but the bike did.
Doubt is one of the biggest killers that hinder our achievements in all aspects of our lives.
The only times I crashed was when there was a snippet of doubt that entered my mind and that gave enough of a belief for my body to think I could not do it – Leading to another crash.
Remember, your mind knows no difference from what is real and what you tell it.
If you tell it that you cannot do something and it cannot. If you tell it you can, than it will find a way to do it. It is as simple as that.
So next time you are facing a mountain, either straight up or straight down, you just have to believe you can and it is amazing how many things we have the pleasure of achieving, feeling, experiencing in this beautiful thing we call life.
Our mental state that we face these moments in life determines whether we just existed as our years pass us by or did we truly live our lives by experiencing and cherishing every single one of these moments, the Good, Bad, and Ugly – All of them is what life is truly about.
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haha – Are you sure that the fall was not due to a rush of testosterone and “boys will be boys” play??
What happened to men bonding on the couch watching a game??
While I am skeptical of this theory that if I believe I can than I can – I do believe it helps us get past our comfort zone and extend ourselves further than we thought we could.
So true Fred, life is an amazing adventure if we just give ourselves permission to enjoy and experience everything it has to offer
Deanne, it was the rush of the testosterone that got me that far and in turn it was the rush of the testosterone that took me too far and made me go over the handle bars.
Bonding on the couch watching a game???? – Ah! some watch others live, some live. he he – I am just saying that cause I do not own a TV.
I love no matter what comes your way, you find the positive in the situation
) that’s an amazing skill.
Your back looks legit sir.
) lol any picture of the poor bike?
Thanks Nadine, not a skill – just a decision to live as such.
I did not have a camera up there with me. I was very lucky as there were some sharp rocks there and luckily I landed on the flat ones. More so, lucky I did not go over the cliff.
The bike, I actually thought I lost my friends bike for good – when I got up and looked over the cliff, it was sitting on a ledge a few feet down.
Your story is so timely for me & I sympathize…I had recent foot surgery and keep fighting battles between my heart and my brain as to how far to push myself/how much I should rest and allow healing to occur. My identity is very much entrenched in being physically active and I miss that feeling of being really “alive” yet I can’t help to think that I am in the position I’m in because there is something valuable to learn – a hiatus or transition that will bring me closer to my ‘destiny’.
P.S. Love your responses for the previous comments. Very astute. I will sleep better tonight having your wise words in mind – DECIDE to find the positive in my – no make it every – situation.
Louise, you are right. There is always a reason why we face what we face. I believe that reason is 100% positive. EVEN though at the time we might not see it that way or even why we are facing it.
I know what you mean by your identity is within you being physical. I lived as such for many years. Took me a long time to break that connection. I love to be physical, but it does not define who I am. Once you can find joy in any and all aspects of your life – you can never lose your identity.
Hang in there and do the right things in order to get back out there and be active.
Hi Fred,
Great that you can realize what you need to do even if it is after the fact! I find you may be able to tell your mind to do something but unless you really BELIEVE that you can, it won’t make a difference.
We tell our minds many things on a daily basis. You hit the nail on the head – Our body and mind knows what we truly believe.
Once you believe than all the energy in the world does what it needs to help to achieve.
Louise, what a great comment. I think that is what I meant. I often see people SPEAK to themselves of the things they intend or are working at but they don’t really BELIEVE in it and therefore not successful. There is a big difference between telling ourselves something and truly believing in ourselves
)
Deanne, it is amazing what we can achieve when we truly believe. Not only achieve what we are trying to accomplish, but achieve in the sense of peace in the journey itself no matter what the outcome.
I hope you are recovering well. I have to agree with Nadine that I love that you find positivity in everything. Here is a test…..other than saving money on hair products, shampoo, etc…..What is the positive in male pattern baldness?
The main positive is that I do not have it.
Now if I did, I would be so happy not to ever worry about bad hair days and the time saved jumping out of the shower, the days you sleep in and can run out.
Now that I think of it – I should shave my head bald.
It makes life easy. believe me.
Since i was 22 and couldnt fight the sneaking baldness anymore all my expenses for haircut has been limited to two shavers at a total value of six haircuts at the local hairdresser.
More than that I always have perfect hair. It takes me 30 sec every 3rd day.
My choices of how I want to look is 0-3 mm of hair. And you know what. This is who I am. This is how I look.
Just like I am 190 cm tall and cant change it if I want.
I like who I am and how I look is just a part of that.
Mads
Mads, well said.
Thanks Fred.
Admittedly it took me some years to get to that point. In the beginning I didnt really like loosing my hair. Now it is just me.
Anything we dont like we can get to cope with and even like if we decide so!
Mads
Mads, best lesson we can learn and teach our children.
Love your self for who you are, not what others want you to be, and the most amazing people will cross your path and love you to.
In other words – this is who I am, if you do not like it beat it.
Fred,
First – I am happy you are ok and didnt hurt yourself more.
Again you hit the head of the nail (besides the rocks you hit)
Not believing we can do things is the direct way to failure.
Mads
Deanne and Fred, thanks for your comments. They gave me confidence to find an “alternate” workout that I could do and it felt goooood!
Fred,what do you suggest when one’s mind tends to ruminate on the shoulda/coulda (regret of past actions or inactions) or “what if there’s a better choice/decision out there” ( getting frozer for fear of making mistakes or just not the best decision)?
Louise, we try to fight the fact of making the the best decision possible that would have no regrets.
That is when people have a hard time making decisions and moving forward with life with the things they know deep inside they want to do.
We need to accept the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect decision and most of the time there probably was a ‘better’ decision.
Life is not about making the ‘right’ decisions. Life is about making decisions and making that exact decisions into the right ones for you at that moment in time.
Life is an accumulation of decisions – How stressful living trying to always make the ‘right’ decision all the time.
Good – Bad – Ugly: That is what makes life so amazing.
Louise, there is beauty in any and all outcomes – but to enjoy the beauty, a decision has to be made.
enjoy
If I may add to this.
When ever you take a decision in life you choose what to do, but there will always be something you choose not to.
Some people get to focus on what they decided not to do that they never fully engage in the decision they took.
That lead to lack of joy and results in what ever you do.
When deciding go mentally through your options one by one and imagine your life if you didnt do it.
That will often give you some clarity since most people in a decision process still somewhere work with the idea of having it all even though they know they need to choose between different options.
As Fred say stick with your decision and enjoy it.
Mads, with comments as such – you may ‘add’ your thoughts at anytime.
thanks for the insight
Thanks Fred
Mads – your words hit home, I thank you for that.
Fred – you have very wise friends. Guess that’s the law of attraction! Keeping positive
Louise – Thanks. I am glad I can help you.
From next week I will restart my own blog at http://reachelite.com – hope to see you there also.
Mads