Epiphanies on the road

This week I rode my motorcycle from Portland to Phoenix in 3 days. Day 1 consisted of an 800 mile ride from Portland to Park City, UT. After that, it was just two "easy" 400 mile days. I rode through the Columbia River Gorge, the Blue Mountains, the Wasatch Mountains, Pink Coral Sands, The Grand Canyon, Cave Dwellers... well, you get the idea. From the seat of the bike, it was beautiful.

When you are on a motorcycle, or any 2-wheeled vehicle for that matter, your senses are soooo much more heightened. You can smell everything, and colors seem to pop all around. But, I had no idea that sitting on my bike for that long would actually test my mental capacity as much as it did.

When I travel, I like to make it all about the "journey" - cheezy, I know. But what's the point of rushing to get somewhere and not enjoying the ride? Yet, that's what I did this time - I didn't stop to smell the roses, I sped through some beautiful scenery without pulling over to take it in. And when it was time to get back on the bike on day 3, I almost cried. I didn't want to ride anymore. I just wanted it to be over. But, there was no way around it, I had to keep going.

That's when I started thinking about that whole "mental toughness" thing. Being able to push yourself when you just want to stop is all about practice. I realized that even though its a completely different situation, mental toughness is still mental toughness. I think I've been waiting for the moment when things would just be easy... but that's not how life is. You have to constantly work at it and you have to PRACTICE being a stronger person. Just like with anything, if you expect to be better, you have to work at it.

So, this week has been all about "ah ha" moments. Life is supposed to be a little hard... but all that means is once you've conquered it, its gonna be so much more rewarding.