The Road to You

Balance is hard. To learn how to balance takes practice. You can’t just take off on a bumpy trail or smooth for that matter and think, “I got this!” You have to start with learning to stand. How many of us might be falling through life because we haven’t taken the time to learn to stand first?

If you see a place ahead that might be a rough transition, slow down! Give yourself time to think about how you could move through smoothly. I didn’t do this. I saw a spot, didn’t slow down, and it sent me rolling on asphalt. Those bruises and scrapes kept me from riding for a little bit. If I had slowed down, I could have kept myself from the fall. I was too confident too soon, and paid the price.

Comparison needs context or it is guilt inducing. My son can do a lap down our drive and through the woods and back in two minutes and he doesn’t even fall off the Onewheel one time. My first try it took me five and half minutes and I fell off five times. I reminded myself that while my foot was hurt for over a month, and I was unable to ride, my son was out practicing. Then I did lap after lap for an hour. By the end of the hour I had gotten my time down to three and a half minutes and I made the final lap, for the first time, without a single fall! I could have told myself, he is younger and made excuses for my time. I could have decided that I would never be able to match his time. Instead, I thought put in some practice time and see what you are capable of. I think I will catch him. (If I keep him off the Onewheel while I catch up. Otherwise he will continue being a step ahead of me. ) It’s ok to want to be better than who you are now, if you are willing to put in work to get to the place you see ahead. Whether you want more patience, better parenting skills, better communication with your spouse, or a better at budgeting. Any of those things can be improved upon with work. Most of us look at “others” and want what they have, but don’t consider what it might have taken to get where they are. If you like the glimmer of the gold, remember it takes fire to refine it. Don’t expect to not feel the ache in your muscles, the tinge from the heat of the fire, or hear the temptation to make excuses for yourself. You may be capable of even more than what you dream, take your next step and see!

Learning new things is FUN! The wind on my skin last night (even if I maxed out at 8mph on the smoother parts of the trail and took the root filled parts MUCH slower), the ache in my right calf from trying to not lose my balance, and the slightly improved time with every lap…it all felt SOOOO good! I thought there probably aren’t a lot of other 39 year old moms spending an hour of their evening trying to conquer a Onewheel course to beat their son. It felt so good! The pride in learning something new felt great. Being able to brag to my son about a skill he actually cares about felt great. The cooler air of the evening and the sunset I could pause to witness while my legs got a quick break…all of it was great!

The day I got my Onewheel (39th birthday gift) I couldn’t even stand on it and do back and forth in a straight line in my garage. Now I can go down a cleared trail through our woods! Getting to see my progress in real time feels great! I had to put in time, sweat, blood, bruises, and many jumps off the Onewheel.

Please note that anything you want to do takes more work than you think, but could also be more fun than you dream.

What do you want to get better at?

What do you want to begin to learn?

Just do it!

Start somewhere today!

Don’t quit just because it’s harder than you thought. The reward of finishing comes with perseverance.