One of my favorite people of all time

Regardless of your religous affiliation, anyone who knows the story of Karol Wojtyla (aka Pope John Paul II) can't help be inspired. One of my favorite quotes from him below: Be not afraid!

Are you riding through life with the brakes on?

I injured my ankle in August 2013 so I have been hesitant to try any high impact activities for the past 9 months. Experience has proven to me that my body was not yet ready for running or even a fast walk.

However, as part of my perpetual quest to be healthier, I decided to take a bike ride this afternoon. I figured that the low impact activity would provide a great exercise option and an outlet from the stress and busy schedule. 

So I pulled my mountain bike out of the shed on proceeded to start my trek figuring that I would be riding for about a half an hour as  my first time out in a long time. 

The first 1/2 mile of the ride was extremely challenging. My legs ached to move the bike forward. I shifted to easiest gear with little to no improvement. I know that I was out of shape but this was embarrassing even for me. My fitness app that I set to give me updates alerted me that I had finished the first mile at a sluggish 7 miles an hour. I know that people run faster than I was biking. But I was determined to push ahead even harder, ignoring the nagging thought in the back of my mind that something was wrong. 

Riding with the brakes on!

After having to walk up a small incline, I stopped to examine the bike in detail. Upon inspection, I realized that while the back wheel was spinning freely, the front wheel was almost completely locked. I tried to make adjustments to the front brake before making the decision that there was nothing I could do a mile and half away from my house with no tools so I disconnected the front brake entirely. Please note that I do not recommend ever riding a bicycle for any period of time without the proper safety devices working properly. 

As soon I released the brake and mounted again, the difference was immediate. Pedaling went from arduous to easy, painful to powerful. I was able to cycle through the next mile at 15 miles an hour or 2x the prior speed. Eventually I was able to achieve my goal of riding not for 30 minutes but almost a complete hour enjoying the sounds and scenes on a cool spring evening. 

All too often in life, we ride with the brakes on. We fill our days and schedules with busy work but never let ourselves be free to be excellent. We listen to the voices in our heads to hold back, partially commit and never fully invest. We tell ourselves that we are being prudent, testing the water and being careful. The reality is that too often we are afraid. Fear of failure, free of others expectations not being met and most importantly, fear of being successful. Why is it that we can't allow ourselves to be successful? Why is acceptable for everyone else but ourselves to achieve our goals? Why must we live our lives with the brakes on? 

Choose today to find the strength to let go of the things holding you back. Choose today to be 100% yourself. Don't let anything or anyone hold you back from being who you were created to be. 

It starts with knowing your mission in life, the reason why you were put on this earth. If you don't know your mission, take time to find out. Contact me at jgallic@gmail.com for assistance and make today the best day of your life.