I just re-read what I put on the two pages bookending the “Think Big” two page spread in the in5 book. If I am not going to DO, why do I show up? To put it into a perspective that I have, lets talk riding. Riding anything, everything. I hope you like to ride as much as I do or at least have a passion for something that takes a mastery of your mind and your body in concert. For me thats where the soul lives. In the best rides, the lines that are the most fun are also the most challenging. Those are the sessions that force me to be in the moment and I don’t think. Once the trail is behind me I’ll usually say to myself, “Wow! That was fun.” Was it fun? That is the most important thing. Are the problems that you solve fun? If not, why do you wait for it to be fun - make up a game for one. The volvo repair shop wants $850 to put in a new alternator and I can get it the same day. I would rather find something else to do with that money. So car repairs, mundane and a little pricey, is the game. My goal is to save a few bucks and find something fun to do. Exploring the options from diy to other quotes is now a game. Can I do better than the repair shop? It’s nothing personal against them and I understand why, for them, it is so expensive. They are locked into dealer parts or very close to that. And boy, getting an alternator for the s40 sure is not easy. In fact it’s so hard that the repair shop is having a hard time finding a re-built replacement. They said it’s to new. Huh, how is a 2005 car new? Fun is not easy. Don’t believe me? Look at the intensity and seriousness 3-5 year old children put into their play. It’s fun. It’s also dramatic, intensive - with high’s (Happy happy Joy Joy lets go faster) to low’s (hysterical breakdowns related to sharing and owwies and over-concerned parental figures). So if fun isn’t easy but we have fun when we are challenged by pushing our limits - why not make a game out if it? Going above and beyond your limits can be fun but you have to find your fun and that will feed you when you get stuck and feel like you are spinning your wheels.
8/12/2011 ~ 3 min read
