For some people, riding a bike is merely about transportation. Not for me. Aside from the exercise that cycling provides, I often have my most compelling insights while in the saddle. At times, riding becomes a metaphor for life.<\/p>\n
One path that I ride frequently travels east from downtown Denver toward the Cherry Creek Reservoir. A few miles into the ride, I pass under a roadway, execute a full 360-degree turn, and confront my nemesis: a 3-foot pole in the middle of the path; it\u2019s there to prevent cars and other motorized vehicles from driving onto the trail. For 15 years, that pole has tormented me. My anticipatory self-talk screams, \u201cLook away. Don\u2019t hit the pole!\u201d Determined to avoid a painful collision, I squeeze the brakes and swerve. This physical barrier \u2013 and my response to it \u2013 has become a metaphor for mental and emotional obstacles that I create and that impede my effectiveness. When I ride defensively \u2013 to avoid the pole, my thoughts go to the larger life lesson about playing not to lose.<\/p>\n
Everything in life goes better when I focus on the opportunities down the road instead of on individual obstacles along the way. Yes, it\u2019s important to deal with obstacles when they arise. That\u2019s different, though, than giving them so much energy and attention that I literally have no goal in mind other than to not hit the pole!<\/p>\n
My knee-jerk tendency to see the pole distracts from my real goal. No amount of panicked attention to the pole will make it go away. It\u2019s far better that I see the line I want to ride and allow myself to glide past the pole\u2026mentally, physically, and emotionally.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an example that\u2019s unfolding for me currently: after working most of the last 20 years in internal talent development, I am blazing a new trail in service to families and family-owned businesses. Even though I grew up in a family business and have coaching, mediation, and other valuable skills, I\u2019m not assured of success. At the very beginning of this ride, I find myself at a fork in the road \u2013 one of many I\u2019ll encounter \u2013 and have to choose whether to:<\/p>\n
1)<\/em> Set myself up to fail by becoming consumed with all of the reasons why family business consulting doesn\u2019t make sense and won\u2019t work. Or\u2026<\/p>\n 2)<\/em> Clarify my point of view about families and family businesses and then talk to people who might have a need that I can serve.<\/p>\n The choice is simple \u2013 but not easy. Success requires hard work. It\u2019s much more likely to come, however, when I steer toward what I want instead of toward the obstacles that I want to avoid.<\/p>\n I hope your next ride is focused on the line you want to travel!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For some people, riding a bike is merely about transportation. Not for me. Aside from the exercise that cycling provides, I often have my most compelling insights while in the saddle. At times, riding becomes a metaphor for life. One path that I ride frequently travels east from downtown Denver toward the Cherry Creek Reservoir. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n