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Post by WindSister on Jul 25, 2017 11:22:56 GMT -5
Pardon me while I become obsessed with all things motorcycles and loop back what I am learning to other area's of life.
Something I heard over and over from experienced riders after I shared the tale of my "crash" in the grass is "You'll go wherever you look." At that moment, a car hot on my tail, nerves kicked in and I forgot where the clutch, brake and throttle were as I also noticed the 2 inch ledge off the road leading to the dirt and the grass.... I focused on the ditch telling myself, "don't go there, don't go there... " but that is exactly where I went.
I have been schooled by experienced riders that I should have focused on the part of the road I WANTED to stay on/be on/end up on. I tried that last night as I avoided a manhole cover and it did work. At first all I saw was the cover and that's where I was headed, then I remembered to shift my focus to the side of it and that's where I ended up instead.
It was quite amazing.
I think that's true in all areas of life, as well.
So often we know what we don't want and that IS valuable to know, but then we have to figure out what we DO want.
What kind of life DO I want? What kind of person DO I want to BE?
Create that vision.
Look towards it as you live your way to your dreams.
It's not magical, unicorn-type thinking, it's actually practical.
Good luck and enjoy this one life!
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Post by DryCreek on Jul 25, 2017 11:36:12 GMT -5
There is a book + video entitled The Secret that builds on this simple principle for succeeding in life:
1) Figure out your goal. ("Which way should I go?" "Well, where do you want to be?" "I don't know." "Then it doesn't matter which way you go.")
2) Share your goal.
This has two effects - first, by sharing your goal, it becomes more real. It forces you to refine your goal enough to express it, and then you feel obligated to work toward that goal because others will be holding you accountable.
Second, it brings resources to bear that you never would have considered or discovered on your own. If you're clear and passionate about your goal, people will want to see you succeed, and your web of connections multiplies.
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Post by wom360 on Jul 25, 2017 12:09:57 GMT -5
Anything that startles me, I pull in the clutch. It's very automatic. Gives me a second to decide what to do next.
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Post by shamwow on Jul 25, 2017 12:42:32 GMT -5
When I totalled my first bike I most decidedly did not want for it to smash head on into the Tahoe coming in oncoming traffic.
Fortunately I had been throw clear prior to that and had at LEAST 8 inches of clearance between my head and the tire... As measured from my helmet skid marks and the tire skid marks.
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Post by shamwow on Jul 25, 2017 12:43:56 GMT -5
There is a book + video entitled The Secret that builds on this simple principle for succeeding in life: 1) Figure out your goal. ("Which way should I go?" "Well, where do you want to be?" "I don't know." "Then it doesn't matter which way you go.") 2) Share your goal. This has two effects - first, by sharing your goal, it becomes more real. It forces you to refine your goal enough to express it, and then you feel obligated to work toward that goal because others will be holding you accountable. Second, it brings resources to bear that you never would have considered or discovered on your own. If you're clear and passionate about your goal, people will want to see you succeed, and your web of connections multiplies. Sharing the goal is HUGE. Every marathon I've finished was shared ahead of time to produce "accountability". The one I didn't finish was just with me.
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Post by WindSister on Jul 25, 2017 13:00:37 GMT -5
When I totalled my first bike I most decidedly did not want for it to smash head on into the Tahoe coming in oncoming traffic. Fortunately I had been throw clear prior to that and had at LEAST 8 inches of clearance between my head and the tire... As measured from my helmet skid marks and the tire skid marks. Well that's scary as hell!! And yet that was only your first bike... so you got back on even after that. Sounds like a helmet was a good idea in that case. Glad you made it through in tact! Sometimes life DOES broadside us, that is true.
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Post by shamwow on Jul 25, 2017 13:10:39 GMT -5
When I totalled my first bike I most decidedly did not want for it to smash head on into the Tahoe coming in oncoming traffic. Fortunately I had been throw clear prior to that and had at LEAST 8 inches of clearance between my head and the tire... As measured from my helmet skid marks and the tire skid marks. Well that's scary as hell!! And yet that was only your first bike... so you got back on even after that. Sounds like a helmet was a good idea in that case. Glad you made it through in tact! Sometimes life DOES broadside us, that is true. I not only got back on but bought my second bike 3 days later. I wore long sleeves to test ride it to hide the bandages where I was still bleeding from road rash. I've had that bike now since 2010.
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Post by greatcoastal on Jul 26, 2017 12:26:55 GMT -5
There is that saying, "keep your eyes focused on the prize".
With that said, there where several, long, narrow two lane bridges I used to cross with my 18 wheeler. Their is only a concrete barrier on the passenger side leaving a few inches of pavement between the white line and the edge of the bridge. You also had only a few inches of space between the double yellow line and your rear trailer wheels. That leaves your "west coast" rear view mirrors that stick out a few inches wider than your whole rig.
I would do just fine crossing these bridges, and keeping my rig between the lines, until another rig was going to pass me in the opposite direction. You would become very paranoid about your mirrors colliding. My defense was to pull to the right. (to over compensate) Not an option when your 60 ft . in the air over swampy waters in the forest.
It became a mental game of ignoring the passing vehicle, and staying focused straight ahead. Sometimes ,intentionally turning the wheel slightly inward toward the double yellow to make up for the reaction to turn away from passing mirrors. Sometimes several in a row.
Lots of life lessons in that.
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Post by shamwow on Jul 26, 2017 13:26:19 GMT -5
There is that saying, "keep your eyes focused on the prize". With that said, there where several, long, narrow two lane bridges I used to cross with my 18 wheeler. Their is only a concrete barrier on the passenger side leaving a few inches of pavement between the white line and the edge of the bridge. You also had only a few inches of space between the double yellow line and your rear trailer wheels. That leaves your "west coast" rear view mirrors that stick out a few inches wider than your whole rig. I would do just fine crossing these bridges, and keeping my rig between the lines, until another rig was going to pass me in the opposite direction. You would become very paranoid about your mirrors colliding. My defense was to pull to the right. (to over compensate) Not an option when your 60 ft . in the air over swampy waters in the forest. It became a mental game of ignoring the passing vehicle, and staying focused straight ahead. Sometimes ,intentionally turning the wheel slightly inward toward the double yellow to make up for the reaction to turn away from passing mirrors. Sometimes several in a row. Lots of life lessons in that. This doesn't reflect well on me, but a long time ago (like way back in 2016) I used to drive while overserved on quite a regular basis. The trick to that is not to try to stay between the lines. You tend to look between and drift within the lane. Instead, stay focused on the left line (probably right in the UK). If you can keep that one line straight, then hopefully the road crew took care of the other one. Yeah...that doesn't reflect well....
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Post by wom360 on Jul 26, 2017 14:55:21 GMT -5
There is that saying, "keep your eyes focused on the prize". With that said, there where several, long, narrow two lane bridges I used to cross with my 18 wheeler. Their is only a concrete barrier on the passenger side leaving a few inches of pavement between the white line and the edge of the bridge. You also had only a few inches of space between the double yellow line and your rear trailer wheels. That leaves your "west coast" rear view mirrors that stick out a few inches wider than your whole rig. I would do just fine crossing these bridges, and keeping my rig between the lines, until another rig was going to pass me in the opposite direction. You would become very paranoid about your mirrors colliding. My defense was to pull to the right. (to over compensate) Not an option when your 60 ft . in the air over swampy waters in the forest. It became a mental game of ignoring the passing vehicle, and staying focused straight ahead. Sometimes ,intentionally turning the wheel slightly inward toward the double yellow to make up for the reaction to turn away from passing mirrors. Sometimes several in a row. Lots of life lessons in that. This doesn't reflect well on me, but a long time ago (like way back in 2016) I used to drive while overserved on quite a regular basis. The trick to that is not to try to stay between the lines. You tend to look between and drift within the lane. Instead, stay focused on the left line (probably right in the UK). If you can keep that one line straight, then hopefully the road crew took care of the other one. Yeah...that doesn't reflect well.... Interesting. I was told by my father to always follow the right line. If you look at oncoming headlights over the left line you'll drive into them.
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Post by shamwow on Jul 26, 2017 16:08:23 GMT -5
This doesn't reflect well on me, but a long time ago (like way back in 2016) I used to drive while overserved on quite a regular basis. The trick to that is not to try to stay between the lines. You tend to look between and drift within the lane. Instead, stay focused on the left line (probably right in the UK). If you can keep that one line straight, then hopefully the road crew took care of the other one. Yeah...that doesn't reflect well.... Interesting. I was told by my father to always follow the right line. If you look at oncoming headlights over the left line you'll drive into them. I always stuck to the left since it was right there. As I was increasingly overserved, it became more difficult to focus that far away. I never crashed, so I must have been doing something right. The only time I would be afraid to drive while overserved was on New Years Eve, otherwise known as Amateur Night. Too many people who were not properly trained like me hitting the roads. That's some scary shit. God, I should be dead so many times already. It's a miracle I'm still here. But I am glad I am at almost 7 months sober. That's also a miracle in my book.
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Post by WindSister on Jul 28, 2017 12:43:07 GMT -5
Interesting. I was told by my father to always follow the right line. If you look at oncoming headlights over the left line you'll drive into them. I always stuck to the left since it was right there. As I was increasingly overserved, it became more difficult to focus that far away. I never crashed, so I must have been doing something right. The only time I would be afraid to drive while overserved was on New Years Eve, otherwise known as Amateur Night. Too many people who were not properly trained like me hitting the roads. That's some scary shit. God, I should be dead so many times already. It's a miracle I'm still here. But I am glad I am at almost 7 months sober. That's also a miracle in my book. OH!! "Overserved"... as in, you drank too much booze? I wasn't reading that correctly in my head. I haven't heard that overserved term before. Glad you are sober. For sure. We are sober riders all the way. Diet Soda at our pit stops.
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Post by shamwow on Jul 28, 2017 15:11:50 GMT -5
I always stuck to the left since it was right there. As I was increasingly overserved, it became more difficult to focus that far away. I never crashed, so I must have been doing something right. The only time I would be afraid to drive while overserved was on New Years Eve, otherwise known as Amateur Night. Too many people who were not properly trained like me hitting the roads. That's some scary shit. God, I should be dead so many times already. It's a miracle I'm still here. But I am glad I am at almost 7 months sober. That's also a miracle in my book. OH!! "Overserved"... as in, you drank too much booze? I wasn't reading that correctly in my head. I haven't heard that overserved term before. Glad you are sober. For sure. We are sober riders all the way. Diet Soda at our pit stops. Yeah, "overserved" is the term my alcoholic grandmother used to use. We are a VERY Irish family on that side. Picture that Gallagher family on the show Shameless. I can literally pin characters to my family reunions. Note, being overserved does not mean necessarily that someone else served you. You can overserve yourself quite easily. I was actually mostly sober on the bike. Usually no more than a beer per hour...never overserved. Way too dangerous any other way.
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Post by itsjustus on Jul 30, 2017 5:00:00 GMT -5
"You'll go wherever you look." I believe in this wholeheartedly. In all of life. In almost any situation. I have found that when I have a task to accomplish, especially something I've never done before, I look at the goal, the finished "product" and then think of the major things that need to be done. Example: To sell my house to split the equity in my divorce, there was a HUGE picture window that needed to be replaced because of dry rot. Have I ever done that before? Nope. But in my mind I saw what it should look like when finished. I knew the big steps that needed to be done, but was clueless on the little individual ones. I knew that first, I had to tear out the old one, glass first, then the wood. I knew I had to put in the new one, wood first, glass last. And...I started. It was definitely a journey.. But as the days went by, I filled in the blanks between each of those three goals, making some mistakes, but always moving, thinking. Even subconsciously of what the next incremental step had to be. Even filling in future steps based off of what I was doing at the moment. It turned out better than the original, the house sold for more, and the divorce went thru. Mission accomplished! My point... I've found that when I have a goal in mind, even a huge one that I don't even think is possible because of where I am. Like being in a loving, happy relationship with someone who loves me, desires me, and wants the same from me. I have no clue of each and every individual step I need to take to achieve that. But I know the biggies. And because I want it, I steer my way in the direction of that goal. Even subconsciously. Sometimes inadvertently. My thoughts are on the goal, and my mind drifts me in the direction of it, little by little. Step by step. It's just on my mind and.....it happens. It turns out it IS possible. Mostly because I subconsciously made little decisions, little changes in myself and my life that got me sequentially closer and closer to each of the big steps where the next big one didn't look so scary, so intimidating. Until finally the goal is in sight, and it doesn't look impossible anymore. It's just the the next big step from the last one. A selffufilling prophecy. You'll go wherever you look. The mind can take you wherever you dream. Ref. See shamwow's law.....Life's simple....
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Post by shamwow on Jul 30, 2017 8:03:26 GMT -5
"You'll go wherever you look." I believe in this wholeheartedly. In all of life. In almost any situation. I have found that when I have a task to accomplish, especially something I've never done before, I look at the goal, the finished "product" and then think of the major things that need to be done. Example: To sell my house to split the equity in my divorce, there was a HUGE picture window that needed to be replaced because of dry rot. Have I ever done that before? Nope. But in my mind I saw what it should look like when finished. I knew the big steps that needed to be done, but was clueless on the little individual ones. I knew that first, I had to tear out the old one, glass first, then the wood. I knew I had to put in the new one, wood first, glass last. And...I started. It was definitely a journey.. But as the days went by, I filled in the blanks between each of those three goals, making some mistakes, but always moving, thinking. Even subconsciously of what the next incremental step had to be. Even filling in future steps based off of what I was doing at the moment. It turned out better than the original, the house sold for more, and the divorce went thru. Mission accomplished! My point... I've found that when I have a goal in mind, even a huge one that I don't even think is possible because of where I am. Like being in a loving, happy relationship with someone who loves me, desires me, and wants the same from me. I have no clue of each and every individual step I need to take to achieve that. But I know the biggies. And because I want it, I steer my way in the direction of that goal. Even subconsciously. Sometimes inadvertently. My thoughts are on the goal, and my mind drifts me in the direction of it, little by little. Step by step. It's just on my mind and.....it happens. It turns out it IS possible. Mostly because I subconsciously made little decisions, little changes in myself and my life that got me sequentially closer and closer to each of the big steps where the next big one didn't look so scary, so intimidating. Until finally the goal is in sight, and it doesn't look impossible anymore. It's just the the next big step from the last one. A selffufilling prophecy. You'll go wherever you look. The mind can take you wherever you dream. Ref. See shamwow's law.....Life's simple.... True. Life is simple. It is also hard at times. Those are not contradictory statements. However in my case with the picture window I woukd have had to just torch the house for the insurance money. I'm not very good with tools (still have the scars from putting a power drill into my hand... With a frighteningly large bit).
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