When Your Life Goes Into the Ditch...Now What?

If you know me at all, you're likely aware that I took up riding a motorcycle about four years ago.

Before then I had never ridden a street bike before, but a friend approached me about taking his bike and within a few weeks I was the proud owner of a Honda Shadow 750.

I have grown to love riding and I'm happy to say, my wife Kathy is just as thrilled with the new hobby. We love getting out and enjoying the open road for a few hours on a weekend afternoon.

According to those I ride with, I am a good rider who probably puts on more miles than most.

But while we have enjoyed this new aspect to our lives, it didn't start out well.

It was May 2020 as I headed to my friends place to get on the bike for the first time. The plan was that I would follow him on his bike while I got use to the new ride. Just a simple ride out in the country not going too far at all.

I drove to his house with great anticipation and with a little fear too...did I mention I'd never ridden a motorcycle before?

Anyway, my friend rolled it out of the garage and started it up. We went over basics like the gears...1 down, 4 up.

Check.

This is the choke.

Check.

This is the brake, this is the clutch.

Check.

Here's how you put on a helmet.

Check

Okay let's go.

I got on and put the bike in first gear and meandered my way down his long, country driveway to the main road. As I stopped beside him, I said, "Well, that's the longest I've ever driven a motorcycle."

On his ready, we began to go.

Then, as I tried to turn left to keep up with him, I kept going into the right ditch. The bike fell over and pinned my right foot under it. I may have blurted out a word or two, that I won't mention here, but I remember feeling a mixture of distress, embarrassment and frustration. In large part because technically, this wasn't my bike yet and I hated the thought of damaging his ride.

My friend returned to the scene of the crime and pulled the bike off me and calmly asked if I was alright.

The bike was fine, and my ego bruised, but all was good. Except that I realized in that moment, that I really had no idea how to ride a motorcycle. Sure, after 4 seasons, and 50km's later, it kind of comes naturally to me.

But at that moment, what I thought was going to be a great day, turned out to be a reminder that I didn't know what I was doing, and I wasn't sure what to do next. I truly felt stuck.

Have you ever felt that way?

We talked it over and decided that my friend would ride the bike to a vacant lot as I followed in my car. He dropped me off, left me fore a few hours while in the safety of the fenced-in area, I slowly began to ride.

That day, I never got out of third gear. In part, because the lot was relatively small, and I was a little gun-shy.

My friend returned to pick me up, drove the bike back home, as I followed again, in my car.

That was my first day on a motorcycle.

It wasn't glamorous, it wasn't "fun" and it was a little embarrassing.

That day, my life went into the ditch. Literally and figuratively.

Maybe, your life has been derailed? Maybe your life is in the ditch?

But I've got good news for you.

It doesn't have to stay there.

Here are a few ways to get out of the ditch

Have People in Your Life Who Want You to Succeed.

I can't say this loud enough. I never would have considered a motorcycle in the first place, without the approval of my wife. But Kathy was on board and encouraged me, from the start.

(I've been around people who simply didn't care about my well-being, and you probably have too. In fact, I've had to distance myself from a few, even though it's hard, and shouldn't be that way.)

My friend, was understanding and encouraging and wanted me to succeed on the motorcycle too. He promised to never mention this day to anyone, and I doubt he has. That first season we rode thousands of km's together and it never would have happened without him.

Know Yourself

"To thine own self be true" is a famous line from Shakespeare's, "Hamlet" which basically means, don't do anything that would go against who you really are. To me, that starts with knowing the core values that we want to guide our lives.

I wrote more about this last week...you can read more here.

Have a Clear Vision for Your Life

You may think that's an overstatement or irrelevant when it comes to deciding to ride a motorcycle or not. But whether it's a new hobby, relationship, new job or move, having a clear picture of what you want your life to look like, will help you make wise decisions, and probably avoid unwise ones.

Riding a motorcycle was something I was always interested in, I just didn't act on it, until my friend approached me. After considering the idea, the timing, the costs, the risks, and how it could fit into my life, I went for it...and I'm so glad I did.

Take a Risk

One of my coaches described me as a "calculating, risk-taker". I like that. If you think about it, every decision we make has some risk involved. Life is boring without risk, and I believe we should take more of them.

Not recklessly, but thoughtfully, and within the context of our values, and vision.

I wrote a blog explaining how I applied these 5 perspectives in my own life, here.

If your life has gone into the ditch, and if you're struggling to get clarity on these ideas, I can help.

I wrote a book, for this exact reason, called, "Vantage Point: Five Perspectives to Live a Better Story."

Download your free chapter of "Vantage Point: Five Perspectives to Live a Better Story" Click here Vantage Point

Even better, let's talk. Book your free 30-minute inquiry call today. I'd love to connect with you.