For years, as a mountain biker, I have been in situations where I had to stop thinking and just go.
In many scenarios, you can plan, prepare, and get yourself ready for success, but deep down looms the reality of the unknown. At that point it is easy to stall out due to over analysis.
You can find yourself at the top of a 20 foot drop thinking for eternity, letting fear rule your future, or you can take a risk, stand up, and stomp on the pedal. Riding off the unknown, engulfed in fear, can be exhilarating.
Whether you’re sitting atop a huge drop, lined up at the start line of a 100 mile race, or about to quit your job and start your own business, there are always unknowns, immense amounts of fear, and a chance of a huge failure, but without taking these chances, you don’t get to experience the successes.
We decided last year to move Swicked Cycles across town to Willow Point. We could have easily rented a location and made the easy move. We might be in a better location, but would we actually have a better situation being stuffed into whatever space came available?
Instead of taking the easy way, we decided to buy a property and redevelop it into exactly what we want. We’ve never done this before, the unknowns are infinite, and the fear is off the charts. But without some risk I’d never had felt the euphoria of stomping the landing on a 20 foot drop, or finishing a 100 mile race.
We took possession of our new property last week and I am already losing sleep thinking about the next year of building our dream. It feels like I’m sitting atop a 40 foot drop. It’s scary and exciting, and it could be detrimental to my future, but if it comes together the success will be better than I can imagine.
Apparently, instead of sitting back wondering what could go wrong, i’d rather die trying, and it’s time to stand up and stomp on the pedal. Sometimes, ya just gotta go.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’…