Chapter 1: Balance
It all begins with balance. The essence of balance is a focal point – the thing that centers everything else. Balance is attained and maintained by controlling the many competing forces that affect it. As you and the world around you change, so does your balance, so you have to be aware of it at all times. Motion is secondary to balance. Sometimes it is necessary to slow down, or even stop, in order to regain the balance required to make motion meaningful. When learning and practicing balance, there are two key points to bear in mind: balance can only be learned through direct experience; and, there will inevitably be falls in the learning process.
Chapter 2: Motion
Motion is necessary for progress. Cycling demonstrates two types of motion: linear and cyclical.
- Linear progress tracks life as a continuous progression. There are two general cyclist mindsets within linear progress. The “finish line cyclist” addresses progress in terms of specific goals. The “voyager cyclist” thinks of progress in terms of guiding aspirations.
- Cyclical progress promotes life as a process of gradual development through repeated patterns. While a circle repeats the same pattern all the time, a cycle repeats a theme but shows change and growth, like the seasons of the year. Motion is necessary because of the world’s dynamic nature. Always strive to move ahead.
Chapter 3: Vision
Vision gives meaning to balance and motion. Vision not only involves seeing where you are, but also where you want to go. Vision is rarely clear-cut, but more often a fuzzy “thing” not well defined yet undeniably present. Vision relates to both goals and aspirations. Short-term goals provide continuing motivation. Long-term goals and aspirations provide a greater sense of direction. Vision must be flexible in order to respond to the dynamics of the world and your own development. The pursuit of your vision calls for personal investment. Life requires effort that only you can make. Self-fulfilling prophecy strongly influences the success of your vision.
Chapter 4: Ground Yourself
Development begins by establishing a comfortable base. If you cannot first find happiness in your comfort zone, you stand little chance of enjoying the paths you take in pursuing your vision. Grounding involves introspection, and defining yourself and your natural inclinations. It identifies a center around which you can develop. It also creates a place to go back to when problems arise or life gets unbalanced.
Chapter 5: Develop Key Skills
Key cycling skills are pedaling and steering. These skills relate to effort and control. Cycling promotes a technique known as spinning. Hammering (forcing things too much) creates stress and inefficiency. Spinning (being lighter and less forceful) provides for more efficient effort. Cycling also teaches the value of a relaxed grip. The road or trail may be rough, and if you grip too hard in the name of control, you actually make control more difficult. With a looser grip, you will find the going easier, both mentally and physically. Learn to work with other forces, not against them.
Chapter 6: Use Your Brain
Progress requires the use of your brain. At the one level, pay attention to the cues the world gives you. Watch. Listen. Look ahead. Don’t defeat your interests by actively or passively blocking out cues. Another level of brain use involves applying your awareness of cues to anticipate what the future has in store. It is important to be proactive rather than reactive to the world. Anticipation enables you to respond to life calmly rather than as one continuous crisis. In order to help others anticipate you better, strive to communicate effectively.
Chapter 7: Learn to Maintain
Examine yourself and your surroundings to assess your progress and to see what could use a little work. Set priorities and make plans in an effort to keep things from getting out of hand. There is a lot of work that can be done as self-maintenance. Seek out and acquire the tools and knowledge that are the most meaningful to your balance, motion, and vision. Regardless of your personal skills and abilities, there are times when it is best to seek the assistance of an expert. Experts offer a fresh perspective to problems, and greater insight into their solution.
Chapter 8: Build from Your Base
Building a better you starts with knowing who and where you are. Before you move further ahead, re-center on your base. You must come to terms with your base because you can only build on what you have. By understanding your starting point, you can develop a plan for reaching where you want to go. Consistent, gradual development is the best approach for growth. Identify your personal base elements and develop each element in turn. You need to maintain a balance between elements as you grow. To promote balance within an element, remember to develop both its physical and mental dimensions.
Chapter 9: Practice Variety
Too much of the same thing can be bad for you. You create a stronger base and better balance if you develop a variety of skills and abilities. Variety comes from taking on new challenges, asking questions, and doing something crazy every now and then. There are many types of variety, including: variety within a focus area; variety around a focus; variety away from your main focus; variety in intensity of focus; and, intentionally going out of focus.
Chapter 10: Step Back
Sometimes the best way to get ahead is to step back. Rest and recovery are imperative for developing strength. There is a fine line between dedication and obsession, determined by how well you can back off when appropriate. Backing off is a matter of discipline. There are many forms of rest other than outright inactivity. Active rest means you do not have to stop completely, you just back off your intensity in some form. “Gophering” (derived from “go for”, like in “go for a bike ride”) allows for relaxation by unfocusing from your main focus area. For example, vacations are only rejuvenating if you leave your usual worries behind. Stepping back from time to time can help you see and assess the bigger picture of your vision.
Chapter 11: Reach Out
Nobody has to go it alone. You can always reach out to others for support. Everybody is part of communities at many levels; family, friends, organizations, towns, etc. Communities are there to help you grow. Communities most often take the form of teams or groups. A team works together toward a common vision. It maximizes the combination of the members’ strengths and weaknesses to create a sum greater than the total of the parts (synergy). You can reach out to a community for help, but you also have the responsibility to take a hand that is reaching out to you. You often grow more by helping others.
Chapter 12: Watch Context
What is good for others may not be what is best for you. When reaching out to others, it is best to adapt, rather than adopt. Be eclectic about life. Explore ideas to find what has the most meaning and usefulness to you. Assess tools, goals, and performance in your personal context. Fads happen because people fail to adapt things to their context. They try something new, it doesn’t work, and they move on to the next. Rather than this repeated adopting and dropping, it is wise to explore (question and understand) something to see what elements are personally valuable. In cycling terms, gimmicks are great, but it’s the motor that matters.
Chapter 13: Anticipate Obstacles
The cyclists’ rule of thumb is that the desired route is inevitably uphill and into the wind. The road of life is not always easy. If you anticipate this reality, you are able to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. Anticipation is a two-step process: admitting that there will be challenges; and, doing something about them before you reach them. Anticipation calls for taking the personal responsibility to prepare yourself both mentally and physically for the road ahead. When faced with a challenge, doing nothing only makes matters worse.
Chapter 14: Ride the Ups and Downs
There are many techniques for handling life’s ups and downs. Key elements to climbing and descending on a bike are balance and control. There are many ways to climb, but they all involve changing from your usual approach when the going gets tougher. Sitting calls for you to shift down so you can work more efficiently in the face of the challenge. Standing enables you to make an extra effort to get over the bigger obstacles. Tacking has you approach the toughest challenges from angles, rather than head-on. Descending isn’t always the easy part of the ride. You must be careful not to get lazy or you will soon end up in the weeds. Balanced control is needed to get you down both easy hills and dangerous mountains.
Chapter 15: Be Prepared
Preparation is a further extension of anticipation. It involves both anticipation and the personal responsibility to act. Preparation is planning for problems by proactively acquiring tools and knowledge before you need them. Alertness can help you avoid many problems. Just because rain is inevitable, it doesn’t mean that you have to get wet. If you watch for the right cues and have the proper plans in place, you can stay safe and dry. Alertness also helps you react to unforeseen obstacles. If you look ahead, you have more time to implement an appropriate response.
Chapter 16: Understand the Price
Everything has a tangible or intangible price. Understanding prices can help you decide whether something is worthwhile for you to pursue. If you know the price, you know what you should expect to pay in terms of effort or other personal investment. Understanding prices is important when negotiating and compromising with yourself and with others. Tolerance and respect are also keys to negotiation. Life happens across a number of communities. As such, life is a constant balance of prices and benefits; it is a constant negotiation.
Chapter 17: Speak Up
Obstacles often remain in place because nobody acts to remove them. If you are faced with this type of situation, speak up so the issue can be resolved. If bad or unjust behavior is not identified, it will never be changed. Speaking up requires follow-up and constructive action, otherwise it is simply whining. Speaking up does not mean picking fights. The idea is to defuse and resolve situations rather than to infuse and exacerbate them. No matter what happens, don’t let a few bad incidents ruin an otherwise good situation.
Chapter 18: Accept Wandering
There is too much emphasis placed on the “right” way to do something and on being “on course.” It is often the unplanned experiences in life that are the most worthwhile. Wandering is a less judgmental way to track progress – it doesn’t assume a “right” way. Wandering enables you to explore, learn, and enjoy whatever you come across in your journey. To accept wandering is to allow for flexibility in your vision and plans. You may not always know where you are headed, but that is not always such a bad thing. If you get seriously off course, there are always resources to help reset your bearings. When you allow yourself wander, you are less afraid of getting lost.
Chapter 19: Be Personally Responsible
Responsibility is looking out for yourself and your communities. It is a balance between not doing enough and trying to do too much. You must assume the responsibility to act in your own interest. Even though you live within many communities, it is important to develop the skills and abilities of independence. The key to being responsible is to behave as a role model. Work to improve yourself before trying to improve others. Actions speak louder than words, so demonstrate your vision and values in how you live. The most important traits of a good role model are honesty and integrity.
Chapter 20: Be Humble
Humility gives you a healthy, balanced perspective. The arrogance of superiority generates disrespect for others. Assume that there is always someone better than you, and you will exhibit more respect for those above and below you. As you develop yourself, strive to be the best you can be. It is not necessary to be the absolute best at something. Everyone has a different role in the community. Life is about participating and doing your part. Focus on maximizing your potential, not on winning the biggest prize.
Chapter 21: Be Appreciative
Never assume you are totally independent, or that everyone else should make way for you. The efforts and actions of others help you through life. Appreciation is a recognition of others’ contributions to the community and to you personally. Take the time to notice others’ influences on you, then act by showing a sign of appreciation. Appreciation is a reward that encourages further good acts. It generates a positive effect both for the giver and the receiver. Appreciation is exhibited in forms of giving and of giving back.
Chapter 22: Combine Body, Mind, and Spirit
Body, mind, and spirit represent the internal elements that affect your balance, motion, and vision.
- Body represents the physical means to act. It is important to be physically prepared to meet the challenges that lie ahead. If your body is not in top condition, your other internal elements can help compensate for it.
- Mind represents knowledge, understanding, thinking, and focus. You must do more than just know, you must be able to understand and think. In order to make progress, you must develop discipline and focus.
- Spirit represents motivation, satisfaction, and attitude. These are the items that create value and quality in your life. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy, so do your best to maintain a Positive Mental Attitude.
Chapter 23: Recognize Other Forces
You are not in complete control of what happens to you. You must contend with external elements. External elements for a cyclist are represented by traffic and the wind.
- Traffic represents the visible components of your environment. It involves your personal philosophy; the way you understand the relationship between you and your world. Since traffic can be seen, it can often be successfully anticipated.
- Wind represents the unseen forces in your life. Wind is a metaphor for spirituality. Its effect varies and may not always be noticeable, but it is a constant presence. You must adapt yourself to the wind to get the most benefit from it. The wind is often mysterious and humbling, in a good way, if you are open to work with it.
Chapter 24: Enjoy Moments of Grace
Grace is the convergence of all internal and external elements in perfect balance, even if only for a moment. You are not in complete control of grace moments – they are more like a gift. As a gift, they should be enjoyed. If analyzed too much, grace has a tendency to disappear. Although grace is a gift, it is also a moment of balance – something you can work toward. The “Zone” of athletics is the most discussed form of grace, but grace can be found everywhere. Grace requires physical and mental preparation, and an open and attentive attitude.
Chapter 25: Don’t Drown, Relax, Go Fast, Have Fun
There is value in developing a simple set of rules or guidelines to live by. These guidelines help keep your perspective in line because they succinctly reflect your vision. Take, for example, my Four Rules of Triathlon.
- Don’t Drown. Overcome and control your fears and emotions. Don’t be afraid to commit yourself to challenges; they are rarely as difficult as they first appear. Keep your head above water, keep an eye on where you are headed, and look out for yourself.
- Relax. Life is easier to manage if you don’t try too hard. Don’t attempt to fully control everything, the stress will make you inefficient. Remain calm in the face of a challenge and let others help. Free yourself from distractions so you can focus better.
- Go Fast. Effort is required to make progress. Focus on what you are trying to accomplish. All things that lead toward your vision are important. Keep yourself from bogging down. Remember that “fast” is relative to your personal context.
- Have Fun. Attitude affects performance. Too much focus creates shortsightedness. Balanced focus makes life more enjoyable. Share your joys with others. Think about why you do the things you do to find your source of enjoyment. True joy comes from within.