Finding that flow state

How many times in my life have I said, “I will never do ______”?

Oh.

Probably like 1,379,290,001.

I know I’ve said it about mountain biking at least a few dozen (maybe a thousand) times. It’s too dangerous. It’s not really my thing. I’ll never be good at it.

Well, guess who loves mountain biking?

This girl.

I know this much to be true: I may never be great at it, or even good. But it sure as hell is fun, even if I’m mediocre at best.

The cool thing is that it doesn’t really matter how amazing you are. You can still have fun and you can still love something a whole lot.

What is not fun is constant criticism, and I know that previous experiences tainted my perception that not being able to meet those expectations meant that I was not going to have fun or I was going to cause others to not have fun.

Big news flash, I know — not all people and/or communities are like that.

There are others who uplift you, who help you without judgement, who provide feedback without criticizing, and who simply enjoy your company without it being a competition. There are people who are rooting for you and who are giving you space to experiment and grow.

Maybe it sounds crazy to say this, or maybe it’s more common than you think, I don’t know, but being in this space where you can be yourself without someone constantly trying to steal your joy is truly amazing and something I’ve never really experienced before.

And now I am in several spaces, all doing the same thing, and it’s incredible. Every direction you look, there are kind and inspiring people doing amazing things to help one another out, to protect this sacred space of collective fun, joy and stoke around a common goal.

***

Maybe I’m being a little too philosophical. I’ve always been that way though, so whatever.

I’m just honestly excited to have found that life doesn’t always have to be a certain way.

I think we’re conditioned to believe that things will always be unfair, people will always look out for their own interests, and that most of us will never amount to anything. You know, the whole experience of growing up in the age where we get participation trophies only to reach adulthood and realize that you ain’t shit and life ain’t fair so you better get used to it.

That may be true on a macro scale.

But things matter. People matter. Little things make a big difference, even if it’s on a small scale. Not all people care, but some people do. Not everyone wants to see you succeed, but some people do. Not everyone is making a difference in the world, but some people are.

You could focus on the overwhelming amount of people who are holding you back. … And I’ll be honest, because that’s all I could see for the longest time.

But through shifting my perspective to focus on finding the small amount of people who are moving things forward has changed my whole life.

They say that you are exactly where you need to be, with the people you need to be with, doing what you need to be doing.

I’ve never felt that more than I do right now.

At the end of the day, I guess I’m most thankful for the ability to contradict myself, to admit that maybe I’m wrong sometimes (maybe), to try something new and to suck at it for a while (or maybe forever), and to be open to the dynamic world that is forever swirling all around us.

***

On another note — I can feel a big energy building, and I’m excited for some waves of change to come and shake things up. We’ve put in the work. We’ve got some plans made. We’ve made connections and drummed up some excitement.

It’s time to let it loose!

Are you in, or are you out?

I signed up for my first mountain bike race. Cyclocross is coming soon, and practice is starting. Teams are in the works.

Earlier this year I freed up space for this specific reason. I’m so excited that it’s actually happening!

Come on … let’s build this thing!!