Self-doubt and fear prevent people from truly following their passion. The result is they settle for less and don’t rock the boat. It’s time to rock this boat.
When I moved to Colorado in 1995, my first purchase was a mountain bike. Apparently I had been inspired by Mountain Dew commercials. It was like going skiing for the first time and skipping the bunny hill, the green runs, the blue runs and even the black diamonds. It was like being dropped from a helicopter for an extreme back-country adventure. Going uphill was difficult enough, but looking back down the mountain was horrifying.
As I looked down at a 12-inch trail scattered with rocks, boulders, and very poorly placed roots and trees, I could feel my heart in my throat and my stomach beginning to churn. Self-doubt and fear were very real emotions. I tried to calm myself by thinking that people do this kind of thing all the time. Heck, the Mountain Dew guy didn’t die, right? So down I went. It was not pretty or even successful, but I did go down.
When I told the story to a friend of mine who was a sponsored racer, he laughed and asked where I went. I told him. His response was, “Are you crazy? Nobody goes down that hill.” I did feel a little better after hearing that, and by comparison, my next ride was simple.
It has become evident that I will never be a professional mountain biker, but I have learned that you will never know what you are capable of without a “gut check” every once-in-a-while.
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THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: You have to be tested to know what you are capable of.
Principal 2: Perseverance is required for success. Otherwise you aren’t good, you’re just lucky.
Principal 3: Fear is not truth. It’s just fear.
