Jason Womack

The Great Mississippi Bike Ride: Day 8

I looked down at my RunKeeper score (www.runkeeper.com/user/JasonWomack) and did some quick math: 599 miles over 8 days. Now, I happen to know there were a couple of miles that were not picked up by the App, so...I'm calling it 600+ miles!

I've had a few people ask, "How did you train for all that, while maintaining a 'Road Warrior' life?" Well, I've got to share with you the power of a vision. When something is THAT clear (no matter the goal, simply make it "that" clear), my body, and mind, my focus and the ecosystem all line up to create the opportunity for success. Of course, there are no guarentees, just opportunities lined up for us to take advantage of; yes, we still have to do the work.

Our "kick-off" conversation was led by Sondra, Jeff and Pam.

Sondra is blogging about the trip too, and even writing up little bios on each person: www.sjlazer.blogspott.com . With the bikes tuned and ready to go, a lot of us where thinking about the day's 64+ mile ride in to the heartland of Graceland: Memphis, Tennessee. As for me, I was the only one who is leaving the tour; the other 16 riders are continuing on to Minneapolis!

And here is an important point. When I first heard about the bike tour company America by Bicycle (www.abbike.com) from a friend (thanks Kevin!), I went to the website and looked at all the tours. The calendar and my goal lined up for me to ride just one third of The Great Mississippi Ride. I didn't even CONSIDER the whole thing. The thinking: I'd check out the tour company, spend 8 days in a row riding my bike, and see what I'd do next.

(FYI: I am considering an amazing goal: 32 days to cross the country by bike; it's called The Fast Ride.)

Day 8 of this tour marked my last breakfast with the crew

One of the great things the company does is that it seeks out places where we can all get breakfast together. Now, if you've ever gone out for a meal with more than a few people, you know how it can be managing the details of one of those experiences. Well, it's all worked out ahead of time so all we have to do is sit down, order our meals, and break bread together.

Speaking of which: Mentor Meals is something I'm thinking about writing/speaking about more. Given the opportunity to sit down with someone, how can we take advantage of that opportunity and use it as a learning moment? Over the course of 8 days - 8 breakfasts, 8 dinners and a few SAG stops (roadside Support and Gear - along the route each day, the tour guids set up an entire area with food, water, Gatorade, etc) - I had the chance to sit down with people from all over the country and share stories. My intention: Continue to sit next to someone I hadn't sat next to during the last meal.

I took my sweet time, riding alone most of the day

The theme of this tour - for me - has been: "Time to notice what I might be too busy to notice." As such, it was importanto for me to take time where I could let my own mind wander, around curves, up and down our little climbs, and up in to the heavens above. It was absolutely incredible to say to myself, "I've got 8 miles on this one road..." At that point there are not decisions that need to be made, only pedal, pedal, pedal.

Whether you ride, walk, sit, stand, lie down ... whatever ... let me strongly recommend the power of thought in and through your busy life. I know it doesn't always make sense to "do one thing," I mean, heck, we live in a world that reward "doing," but when we do one thing it's like doing no thing, and when nothing is happening we increase the chances that something will. I'm gonna ask you to trust me on that one.

And, that's a wrap: Celebrating on Beale Street in Memphis

I made it to the "late" hour of 8:30pm before I gave in and headed back to the hotel. Here's a picture I captured as we all celebrated the 8 days of riding with a meal, a beer, and great stories of riding along the Great Mississippi. Looking back, I'm delighted I took this opportunity. Looking forward, I anticipate doing more of this. Some shorter, some longer, all purpose-full: To get out, slow down, and think about what I think about. I hope that makes as much sense to you as it does to me.

How can you build in some "me" time this week? This month? This year?

What do you need...more?

I was cruising around Pinterest the other day and I saw this picture.

Then, I watched a video by Scott Henselman (find out about him here: http://www.hanselman.com/blog/content/radiostories/2003/01/22/scotthanselmanstipsforasuccessfulmsftpresentation.html ) on the two words:

Effective

and

Efficient

Thinking about how to be BOTH kept me up last night. Knowing where to point my focus is becoming that much more important.

The Great Mississippi Bike Ride: Day 6

From the "get-go," it was obvious today would be a thinking ride. To me, this means I'll have time in the saddle just to follow thoughts this way and that. For the bulk of the day (just over 3 hours of the 5+ plus I was cycling through Mississippi) that was the case. Over the course of the day, I pointed my focus around into different areas.I won't say I discovered anything new, or solved one of the world's biggest problems, but I did walk away with a few new things to consider. Some about workk, some about life, all REALLY interesting to me.The first one I thought about was as I repeated a mantra of one of our tour leaders - Jeff. He says, "Put yourself in a comfortable situation."
Of course he's coaching us to pedal our bicycles between 50 and 100+ miles a day, so his focus for us is on "safety," not simply being comfortable through the day. So far, we've had a couple of mis-haps (heck, I went down within the first 2 miles on one of our long days; I simply couldn't predict what the guy in front of me was doing, and the price I paid was...well, a soft landing on hard asphalt...)
As you get ready for another week "at work," - whatever that means to you - ask yourself, "Am I in a comfortable position?"
The way that I'm interpreting it from Jeff is like this:
Can I contribute my best to the next situation?Am I prepared to give my all, having let go of the unimportant things right now?Is it possible to be 100% present and focused on what I'm about to do, with safety as the priority?
Of course, with your work and your experience, you'll need to translate what that mantra means to you. Give yourself the gift of your own attention and ask that question a half-dozen times tomorrow. Listen and watch for the answers...
"Am I in a comfortable situation?"
Another BIG ah-ha for me today is this one: It's ALL small.
I have a very dear friend of mine who I've seen "semi-start" a business. On my bike ride today, oh at around mile 40 or so - the halfway mark on today's ride - I realized, "She's waiting to do something big."
But, you see, I got to mile 40 - and ultimately, mile 80 - NOT by focusing solely on the end of the ride, but by being present for literally EVERY SINGLE pedal stroke. On a flat surface, one pedal stroke will get me about 15 meters down the road. Every single effort was part of the bigger, entire thing. Yes things like starting a business, writing a book, building a family, and riding almost 600 miles in a week ARE big. However, by doing one thing at a time, riding one pedal stroke at a time, the big can happen; it just takes doing the small things...all the small things.
One last thing, it is a small world. After checking in to the hotel and washing off the layer of "road-dust" I had collected over 5 hours in the saddle, I walked over to a Mexican food restaurant. There, I struck up a conversation with Miguel (in Spanish) and it turns out we went to the same school in Mexico City (UNAM) together at the same time (1994). Also, we lived one "colonia" apart, and used to ride the same metro train around the city. 
Wow...

The Great Mississippi Bike Ride - Day 4

Day four of our fabulous ride along the Mississippi River. So far we've had some great days of cycling.

Day 1: 68 miles
Day 2: 58 miles
Day 3: 69 miles
Day 4: 94.49 miles (yes, I'm including the .49 there as well...)

We started off at the best (only) coffee shop in town: Natchez Coffee Company. Not only a full "southern-style" breakfast (grits DO go with everything), I got a soy latte that was wonderful. (First real coffee drink since last Saturday, when I was in New York City).

I took this photo looking outside, from inside, the coffee shop

We all knew it was going to be a longer day today; that meant a little earlier start. So, we were at the breakfast house as they opened, by 7am. (Ok, maybe a little bit after, but I wanted to roll by the Natchez Technology Incubator one more time, just to see if anyone was in that early!) I'm still super impressed that there IS an incubator here, and hope they achieve some major success in the short AND long term.

I didn't say anything about this yesterday, but there IS someone I'd like to meet in Natchez. When I checked in to the hotel, I saw a periodical called, "Natchez: The Magazine" (the Spring, 2012 edition). The last page of the magazine is a column called, "Why I love Natchez." There, in an interview-type article, Ms. Alice Morrison talks about finding her calling to work in education. She references one of the more important books in my own journey of getting from "there to here," and I'd like to offer Ms. Morrison a signed copy of my book. (I think after reading "Good to Great," that she'll get a few more ideas from Your Best Just Got Better that she can use right away.)

Early in the morning, we started along the Natchez Trace Parkway

This part of the ride has been my favorite so far. With over 30 miles (today) along this one roadway, we got an opportunity to ride without having to watch for traffic the entire time. (This is one thing about this ride - so far - that's been a challenge for me: A LOT of traffic...) I decided I'd ride by myself for a while; amazing things happen when I spend 75 minutes alone, on my bike, with a goal to keep going at +18 Miles Per Hour.

I got to think about the better series (www.facebook.com/YourBestJustGotBetter) and how that may morph and change in the near future. I also let myself go down the thinking stream with this thought-prompt: "What if there were a #Better scholarship program?" I love the idea of having people apply for a scholarship (or, is it a grant...or, perhaps even a loan) to go out, and make SOMEthing better?" I had a LONG time to spin the thinking around. I like it, and am going to see what shows up tomorrow.

I did spend a few minutes at the Sunken Trace

What was more impressive to me than the fact that the road had been "carved" into the ground was this tree - and many more like it. I found myself staring in awe - and making connections all over the place - at the root system that was semi-apparent. (I say "semi" 'cause I only got to see the side that had been eroded away by human and ecological forces.)

The thinking continued: "The roots will seek out new pathways; never straight, and changing direction seemingly 'on a whim.' The tree is being supported by a dynamic, chaotic and intent system. A system with but one goal in mind: Allow the tree to grow taller; get more sun on the leaves for food." Now I have to wonder about my own roots. The structure and support that I've put in to place to "feed" the program/system that I'm stepping in to.

We rode for miles and miles and miles and miles...

I can only imagine what you're thinking, "You're crazy, Jason." But, don't think that way. Change it up. Here's my prompt, what, if you had "all the time in the world" would YOU like to do for a few days at a time. And, don't be like some people I know and "want to be a martyr." (Taking care of someone's kids; cleaning the house; taking the trip 'cause you HAVE to, but don't really want to....)

I mean really, REALLY, getting away to be with you. If you could hear yourself think, if you could imagine things for longer than short bursts between meetings, what would you think of? What would show up? Who could you help?

Now, what can you do about that THIS YEAR?

The Great Mississippi Bike Ride – day 3

By about now - the third of 8 days of riding - I'd think that "most" of the work-thinking would have fallen away, by the side of the road, to pick up again later in May. Alas, I was wrong. Well, it wasn't totally my thought, three of my co-riders (over the course of the day) wanted to talk about the book. "What do you think makes the difference?" I asked? That was all it took to get us started.

After visiting Rosedown Plantation, we took to the road for 68 more miles of fun.

There's something about sharing time with strangers who become acquaintances, who run the chance of becoming friends. When you do get the chance to get out, and hang out around new people, you're changing everything. There's the chance to ask the easy questions (What do you do?) and there's the opportunity to go in a new direction. Today, someone asked, "Jason, what do you hope your book does?"

I looked down the road, and saw my fellow riders. I know I had some thoughts come to my mind, and then I said, "I need another couple hundred miles of biking to come up with a better answer." I promised to get back to him...

On the back roads, this was the note we get that we'd crossed the state line.

Here's a thought: If you weren't informed, would you know your limits (or, the possibilities)? If we hadn't been told, I am fairly confident we would have only found out we were in Mississippi some many miles down the road. Not that it's a bad thing, but it did have me thinking about how "sure" we like to be in our day-to-day life and businesses. Now, I'm not promoting NOT knowing as a strategy; however, I'm going to spend some time wondering about where there could be a bit more trust in the process.

It's amazing how quickly something "gets known as something."

Apparently, this ride we'll be on this road quite a bit. Me...less than the other riders (they're going all the way to Minneapolis, while I stop my tour in Memphis). Well, in the past few "Route Raps" (the end of the day discussion, where we look at tomorrow's route), any time we've come to North Route 61, someone in the group says, "Our favorite road!"

Unfortunately, it's not. It's got a tight shoulder, the cars (and semis!) drive at or above the speed limit, and the rumble strips along the side are brutal.

How amazing is it that I just seem to find "my people."

I arrived at our hotel for the evening well before the check in time of 4pm. So, I decided to keep on going into town (Natchez) and take a quick bike tour - and, add a few more miles to the odometer for the day. So, as I was cruising through town, I happened to notice a Tech Incubator. What are the chances of that? Here's the offer: If anyone there could use a copy of my book, let me know and I'll get one in the mail!

An amazing evening, with more stories than I can share here, coming to a close.

On the walk back from dinner, I took this photo. (Dinner was it's own, big story. We took the hotel shuttle to the riverboat casino. Upon entering, I was asked for my ID - I think it was the fact that I was wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. Well, my license was/is in my bike-jersey bag, and, well, I was kindly invited to "eat dinner somewhere else." So, I missed dinner with the crew, but one of the tour leaders joined me - she saw the whole thing! - for southwestern food down the way.

I'm going remember Mississippi as the Mariposa state - I saw dozens of butterflies along the ride. It was nice, as I got a little reminder of Goleta and Santa Barbara. Oh, and although they are few and far between, there are some beautiful wildflowers along the road way.

My BIG aha from three days of riding under the direction of Tour Leader Jeff Lazer is the following:

~ Be Predictable. We did have a crash on the ride today. And, there were shared stories of "close-calls" from some other riders. The best way to ride is to be predictable, and if it is warranted, to let the people around you know what to predict/expect.

I'm thinking that's just some good, solid, all around advice.

What do you think?

The Great Mississippi Bike Ride: Day 2

Day 2 of the Big Ride (16 May 2012)

Knowing that I was going to be out on this ride since late last year, it's amazing to be here.
(NOTE: If you can, be sure to put something big on your calendar for anywhere from 4-8 months out. It was great to have the long "lead-time" as the event approached, and now that I'm here, it's simply fantastic.)

The pace today was a solid one; though from time to time we did slow down enough for me to catch my breath.

From the beginning of the day, we looked out and saw a beautiful sky, with a call for thunderstorms later in the day. All the more reason to kick it up a mile or two per hour, and get in before the rain had a chance to fall. (Within 1.5 miles of the hotel, after a stop for lunch, we did feel a drop or two. But, the "storm" passed without us really knowing...)

In to and through Baton Rouge, I was reminded of just how important college football is in this part of the country. The LSU stadium will hold (are you sitting down???) 95,000 people on game day. Seriously, that's a LOT of people!

Riding through the LSU campus was awesome. I've been able to visit, since publishing the book earlier this year, quite a few college campuses. There's something electric about the energy and abundance of opportunity there. Oh, then while I was pedaling along the perimeter road I had a flashback to visiting Baton Rouge many years back while working for another company. I was there to present a two day seminar, and went running along the college grounds.

How can fig newtons, watermelon and chip's ahoy cookies taste SO good? When they are prepared for us at a SAG stop. Here's a picture of the guys I rode the entire day with (yes, they're the fast ones!). The guy on the left, Albert, is here from Holland; he loves to see America by Bicycle! They all know each other, so it was great that they "let me" tag along their pace line over miles and miles of open Louisiana roadway. Thanks!

I simply had to get a picture of this sign - the one off to the right. I travel to the big cities of the world, working in New York, London, Zurich, The Bahamas and more...never have I seen a sign where they offered "deer processin."

Check out Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More (Unabridged)

Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More (Unabridged)

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Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More (Unabridged)
Jason W. Womack

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