{This post comes from this week’s Monday Morning #GOALdiggers newsletter. To get a weekly dose of inspiration in your inbox, sign up!}
Over the weekend, something AH-MAY-ZING happened. I learned to ride a motorcycle!
While I’ve always admired bikers, I never had a desire to learn how to ride until I went to the Harley Davidson museum back in February. During our press trip, we got to sit on a Harley and rev it up and it was one of the coolest things I’d ever done. But this weekend wasn’t just for show; I was going to learn how to ride a bike—for real, for real.
My goal for the weekend was simple:
1: Don’t die or hurt myself.
2: Don’t drop the bike.
3: Learn how to ride
Thankfully, I met my goals, but in the process I learned so much more.
During our first day on the bikes, several people either dropped them or crashed. And according to our instructors, our class broke a record for most drops—10–and by the end of the day, three women decided not to continue their lessons because they were so shaken up.
While I was worried for them and sympathized with their fear and frustration, I realized I needed to focus on myself and what I was trying to accomplish or else I might end up crushed under the bike as well.
On Saturday, while I watched people fall off the bike and lose control, I stayed focus on my goal—not killing myself and learning how to ride the bike.
Had I allowed their spills to make me start to question my own ability to ride, I might have ended up in the same position. But instead, I empathized with their plight, but kept my eyes on the prize—being a rider.
Too often in our lives we get distracted from our goals because we take our eyes off of the proverbial road. We get caught up putting other people’s needs, emotions, and concerns before our own. Although it’s sometimes necessary to tend to others before we can totally focus on ourselves, continuing to put your needs, goals, and emotions last will leave you drained and headed for a crash.
Yes! Unfortunately, I do let others get in my head and I’ve been working really hard lately to have those boundaries where I have to put my needs/priorities first. Sometimes I feel guilty, like maybe I’m being a bad friend/sister/daughter/girlfriend…but I’m slowly finding a balance that works for me and still allows me to be a supportive person for them.
I’ve been discouraged because of other people’s failures. The hardest part is when someone else fails and then they try to discourage you because they didn’t succeed. I’m working on this.