4 valuable reminders from a 2000 km bike ride

I didn’t actually learn anything new from my 2000km bike ride (www.lemtk.blogspot.com.au).

There were no epiphanies.  No sudden flashes of illumination. No becoming. No confronting fears. No need to find myself.  

But this experience reminded me of several truths so valuable, I won’t forget them again in a hurry.
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Look at the next step, not the summit
​The truth is, ambitious goals can intimidate and demoralise as much as they can motivate and inspire. Big goals can seem overwhelming.

An unsupported 2000km bike ride through the bush may seem like one of those things. But breaking down your big goal into bite size chunks is where the rubber literally meets the road.

For example, it’s not actually a 2000km bike ride, it’s just 90kms a day. With a bit of training, most people could do that.

It’s actually not even 90 kilometres a day, it’s just 15 kilometres in the next hour. Anyone can do that.

And when you are going up a big hill, it’s just about getting to the next phone pole or the sign post you can see in the distance. Walk if you have to. Then set another goal.

When you think that way, gee it helps. These mini goals:

• Are easier to achieve
• Allow you to feel progress
• Easily let you track how you are going.

​So consumed by short term achievable goals, I had to be reminded on the last day that this was the last day - true story.
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Think about this approach next time you feel overwhelmed.  

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Surround yourself with people who share your vision
Going it alone is a romantic notion but few if any ideas are brought to life without a lot of help. Collaborate with others who share your vision to bring your dreams to life.

​If you don’t, you may never experience the bigger picture.

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Thinking and doing are two different things
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.  Knowledge is pretty useless without action.  Good things don’t come to those who wait; they come to those who work on it.  Ask yourself what’s really important and then do something about it.
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And remember, if you wait until you feel 100% ready to begin, you’ll likely be waiting the rest of your life.

Just do it!

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What you own is not who you are
When you have to carry everything, you become expert at stripping back the superfluous and inessential.   For over 3 weeks, I got by with 3 pairs of shorts, 3 shirts, some cycling shoes, camping gear, tinned meat, not much money and a pair of thongs. And never felt better!

Stuff really is just stuff, and it has absolutely no bearing on who you are as a person.  Most of us can make do with much less than we think we need.  That’s a valuable reminder, especially in a hugely consumer-driven culture that focuses more on material things than meaningful connections and experiences.
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Don’t watch too much TV, don’t read every fashion magazine, you don’t need to go shopping, don’t spend too much time on social media, in fact turn off the computer.

The space and time you are occupying at this very moment is LIFE. 

Fill it with meaningful experiences and meaningful connections with other human beings – it’s so much more interesting.

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