Life Lessons From my Bike
The crowd stood around me, encouraging me to get up.
But once I got up, one of them pushed me.
I was propelled forward and promptly fell…again.
I was 5 years old at the time.
Why are a bunch of adults pushing a 5 year old around!?
Because I was learning how to ride a bike. I would get on the bike, get a push, and fall.
Push, fall.
Because the hardest and scariest part about riding a bike is the very beginning when you push the pedal down.
Once you are moving, the gyroscopic effect of the wheels helps you maintain the balance.
But when you’re 5, you don’t think about theory. Or physics. Or have classroom instruction on bike riding.
You just take the training wheels off, and it’s trial by fire.
You ride, lose your balance, fall. And ride again, lose your balance again, and fall…again.
Until one time you suddenly get it. The balance kicks in, and the pedals keep you moving forward.
The first actual ride is the most important.
My first bike ride was over 30 years ago.
And now, I’m planning to ride 112 miles in one go as part of an Ironman Triathlon.
5 year old me had zero understanding of just how far I would come with bike riding over my life.
To begin riding the bike, I had very, VERY, basic instruction.
“Sit up straight.”
“Push the pedal FOREWARD, not BACKWARD” (this is maybe the most technical part of the instruction on bike riding…
“Don’t stop pedaling”
And after that, it was all learn by doing.
So many parts of life have very similar curves.
A basic knowledge is enough to start. And after that, you just put in the work and learn more as you go.
But so many us have forgotten how we learned to ride a bike.
Because the fear of starting something new is very real.
And instead of pushing through the fear, we let it take hold and tell us what to do.
“Take one more class before you start…”
“Listen to another podcast to make sure you understand…”
“Get another online course, this one will be the one!”
So we fall into the cycle of always studying, but never implementing.
Totally makes sense though. Learning about riding a bike doesn’t have the same risk as ACTUALLY riding a bike. If you mess up the learning, no big deal. If you mess up the riding, you will likely have scrapes, bruises, and cuts.
I love education. I love learning things. But the problem is when I get stuck in the learning and never make it to the doing.
Too many times, I see someone say, “I’m not ready. I just need to study more. I need to go through another course.”
But the reality is that all we need to do is start taking action.
What action are you going to take this week with the knowledge you ALREADY have?
It’s time to get serious and start pedaling for real.
