Why I Ride a Motorcycle

I guess it started with horses.  As a kid most of my cousins were taking riding lessons from Great Neck Stables or Princess Anne Stables, both run by Aunts of mine.   That was until I was introduced to a neighbor’s mini bike.  I never stopped desiring to go for a ride after taking my first!

As I grew so did the size of my motorcycles. 

I was working a trade show in Central Va.  in the mid 90's for WaterFurnace Intl and was introduced to a Yamaha V-Max, about the “baddest”  thing you have ever seen on two wheels.  For two days I watched this thing spin around on a display table while On Any Sunday (the movie) was playing in the back ground.   

I made a bet with my VP and later owned that bike! 

 

Another reason I own a motorcycle is that I like to give back and there is always a ride available to help something or someone.  Yesterday I rode in the Extortion Memorial Ride dedicated to the memory of 30 active duty military and 1 military working dog killed in action on August 6, 2011. Extortion 17 was the CH-47 helicopter shot down by enemy fire in Afghanistan. 

It doesn’t get much better.  The road was filled with friends and neighbors waving flags and posters.  Everyone was "plugged in" to the reason we were there and the money flowed in like honey dew vine water!

I now own a 1996 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Nostalgia that I won in a raffle on a local ride by the Kiwanis to support CHKD.  The winning ticket was sold to me by Morris Long at a Robin Hood meeting (now The Noblemen) many years ago.

I guess you can see I was just destined to own and ride a motorcycle.

So I will continue to ride and use it as a vehicle to help local causes with my "Noble Riders" and friends keeping a smile on my face with a bug or two between my teeth! 

 

NobleOne

Inspired...it happened to me again!

Are you fortunate enough to know when that “right moment” appears in your life? 

Many years ago I was fortunate to learn how to “pay attention” to the wonderful moments that life offers you as a gift!  It is never timed or planned, it just dawns on ya that you ought to pay attention to something you just saw, heard or experienced. 

The reason, it’s time to take a step!

If you pray, how do you determine if and when prayers are answered?  How does that appear in your life? 

If you set goals…is it your ego that drives them or something grander?

For me, I pay attention and don’t ask for a thing.  The reason, I usually get it wrong! 

Every now and then something simply happens and it makes me say hmmmm!  I give the experience a great deal of thought and share it amongst my friends.  It like planting a seed, great moments offer wonderful life enhancements and put you on your path that you were meant to be on. 

If you are fortunate enough to answer yes to the question…today, are you doing what you feel you were placed on this earth to do?   Very provocative indeed! 

What inspired me today?  Eric Whitacre, a composer that reaches thousands of singers who perform virtually to music that he conducts via Skype or You Tube.  All of the segments are then placed in a format that simply will blow you mind.  He has performed at least three times @ TED Talks Ideas worth spreading. 

Just imagine an idea powerful enough to inspire 6000 people to pay attention and participate on the idea as it is being developed.  Consider the power of thousands of people like minded focused on a particular outcome, priceless! 

Consider me inspired! 

NobleOne

It's not the Destination...It's the Ride

Often times I rush to get things done or get somewhere faster.  I seldom take time to slow down and smell the roses.  The issue here for me is once I accomplish something new or get somewhere I was intending to go, I now have to start something else! 

It’s like finishing a good book….reading the chapters one by one and enjoying the message is the good stuff….finishing it, is an accomplishment but also a letdown.   Now I have to find a new book to read!

After reading the Celestine Prophecy so many years ago and then again recently, it taught me to “pay attention” to everything around me.  Learn to appreciate that there is life in everything and we play an integral role in it all. 

On my bike rides and runs I “intend” to experience a connection or discover an opportunity to figure something out!  When the ride is over, it’s time to do something else and live another moment longer.  I constantly have to remind myself to breathe and enjoy every moment and treat it as a gift! 

How many times do you simply want to get to the end of a day and start over?  I catch myself doing or participating in mundane things simply to make time go by. 

Such a waste of a segment of your life!

I would also point out that joy resides in the ability to make a decision, a decision that will take you down a new path and lead you to a better life.   Stopping smoking, moving, new jobs, losing weight, new relationships are all those kind of decisions.   

These decisions put you on a new path.  You cannot enjoy the path if you don’t take the first step down it.  The first step is making the decision and the next is living with it!  The reality of that new moment and the moments after is what it’s all about. 

A good friend’s advice in 2006 was “Leap, build your wings on the way”.   You don’t get the chance to enjoy a new view unless you leap first!  

You see there are some things that you cannot figure out with your mind and plan for.  Big new adventures take courage.  After taking the leap, a new reality emerges and it’s that new ride that you enjoy, not the eventual destination!

What “leap” have you been pondering?  It’s time to take a Ride! 

NobleOne

Vacations?

What if you created a life that you have no reason to vacate from?  When people talk about a taking a vacation they often reference how tough their life has been lately and how bad they need a vacation!

I have never been a big vacation guy.  I would rather say it’s time to go on an adventure.  An adventure seems to spark from a conversation and you build on it until it’s time to put the plan in motion!    One is more predictable than the other!

Don’t get me wrong I applaud those people that enjoy their periodic vacations.  As a result of Facebook we all get to see friends and families on their vacations.  For some of us it is really difficult to “unplug” from one life to go to another! 

I have friends that seem to live their life making a vacation for others!  Their life is creating the platform for others to get away from their "work a day" world.  Not a bad concept!

Consider this…if you get the feeling you need a vacation, give some thoughts as to why you need it?  Make some adjustments and find ways to “get away” even if it is in a chair, a quiet place, and some time to relax.

To the rest of you…enjoy your summer and I hope your life is filled with awesome adventures and one that doesn’t need to be vacated from!

NobleOne

Are you a Leader or a Boss?

How do you exercise your authority?  Do people that work for you have a choice?   If you are military, how tough is it to demonstrate leadership knowing your support has to follow orders? If you run a company, is it your way or the highway?

I recently wrote a blog about volunteering.  In the nonprofit world you better learn to inspire since the people that you are leading are not relying on you for a job!

I am confident that scenarios exists that require people to follow orders or bad things can happen.  I also know there are quite a few folks out there that require a title or else no one would pay any attention to them!

I truly enjoy the inspirational route.  The skills are not easily mastered however knowing that your world exists because of a collective of like-minded folks is truly an interesting scenario!  People are on your team simply because you offer a return on investment that goes beyond financial rewards. 

What is your scenario?  Do you have people that you pay to work for you?  If you did not pay them, would they show up tomorrow?

Consider offering something up to the world that inspires others to give unselfishly!  There are simply platforms out there that need heroes to take care of.  I love to meet new folks that discover the reason they were put on this earth.  People like that are hard to stop and easy to get behind!

 NobleOne

Exercise?

Well, its early morning and once again I need to consider spending an hour or more doing some sort of exercise!  I am driven by guilt and the knowledge that it brings results.   That doesn’t necessarily motivate me to do it though!

I have friends that can’t wait to carve out a free hour to either bike, run, or go to the gym.  I am fortunate that I am an early riser and find that it is really the best time for me to work out.  Motivation is my issue!  I simply don’t get the “high” from exercise, how about you?

Don’t get me wrong, I love the results and strongly believe it is something I need to do however I can find plenty of options that keep me from it!

 

As well as six options to get it done.

Living near the water I can SUP, kayak, surf, bike ride (road or mountain) or run!  Of course weather plays a role along with what I did the day/s before.  You would think I would never go to work with all of these cool things to do! 

Still there are so many days I avoid them all.  I consider it a “task” when I should be thankful that I can still get it done.

I am grateful it is summer and the weather is now conducive to all my options.  I think I will run today since it requires the least amount of setup, takes the least amount of time and delivers good results.

How about you?  Do you exercise at least 4 times a week?  What is your excuse? 

I have never considered myself as athlete.  I was the last picked in school for almost any athletic opportunity.  I have to admit, I was partially damaged goods and it hurt not to be chosen or wanted.  As I grew older I learned to skateboard and surf.  I could do this alone and it did not require permission or participation from others.   Slowly I regained my confidence and enjoyed exercising through cool activities.

Today I combine my exercise with things that give back.  Running and biking on the roads in Back Bay gives me sights and sounds of all kinds of unique and cool critters.  There are many days I stop to give a turtle a safe crossing and “me” a break.    When the weather permits, I paddle, sometimes on a kayak other times on a stand up paddle board.  I launch in Back Bay, the water is calm, flat and beautiful.  Once in a great while there are waves and it’s off to Sandbridge with the longboard or the SUP. 

…or I can keep writing this blog and avoid the sweat and the labor!

NobleOne

Problems or just opportunities?

When I am in the midst of a big problem, I often stop for a moment and ponder whether or not this could be a teachable moment.  It can simply be the time to learn how to deal with this sort of thing.  Remove the drama and look deeper into why this is happening.

If you already knew how to deal with this situation it would never become a problem!   

Many years ago I was a newly licensed Realtor ready to take on the world.   I had drive and enthusiasm however lacking in experience.  As problems arose in my early deals I sat down with my Broker at the time, Larry Sancilio.  He simply stopped me in my tracks and stated “there are no such things as problems only opportunities for progress.”  I can assure you at the time I was convinced they were problems! 

I was told this so many times before I accepted it as a life lesson.  A great one to learn!

I thought about Mr. Sancilio a few years back when I fell through my roof at my farm while replacing a chimney cap.  As I soiled my pants, I realized that my view from the angle I was dangling from was awesome.  I decided to add a small third story loft since I had to sheath the roof anyway.  That’s the spot where I wrote my book, Normal to Noble.   Lemonade from lemons!

My greatest example occurred on May 4^th, 1993 when the Doctor told me to abort the mistake that was occurring in my wife’s womb.  I decided to “let it ride.”  And today I plan on going to the movies with that mistake!

Consider this; a problem occurs like the wake of a boat.  It has already happened, the wake is behind you and you can’t change it.  You can of course change the way to steer the boat and create a new wake. 

The next time you have a problem, take a moment and consider allowing it to be an opportunity for progress.  It may be something that changes your life forever. 

You have a choice to be upset and resentful, and then the opportunity to share that with your family and friends… or NOT!

NobleOne