Blogathon Day 2: Food for thought

It's only Day 2, and I'm just starting to dig in to the 250 or so bloggers involved in this year's WordCount Blogathon, but already I'm seeing variations of the BIKE. To give you other ways to process the philosophy, here's more food for thought. Remember, I told you we'd get to know the other bloggers through BIKE WITH JACKIE. I wasn't kidding.

A short curated list for you: 

To be your Best self, access your Inner strength, and to develop those Killer instincts, you may need to learn when to let go -- What does that look like? Lady Moxie gives you an idea from her yoga class.

You use your Expressive voice not only when you stand up for yourself, but also when you can laugh at the oddities of life's everyday moments -- or the not so everyday rewards. At Still Living the Dream, we learn this because of a winning outfit. Prepare to smile if you read this one.

Holding yourself accountable also works wonders when on the mental BIKE ride. You'll find a great example of this over at Let's Walk and Talk, where blogger Glenneth Reed composes her list of things she's expecting to accomplish in 2012 -- and admits what she hasn't yet begun. She put it out there for all the world to see, and that will help her progress. That's also about being your Best self. You don't have to do everything right. But you do something.

One step at a time, and you'll get wherever you're going. It's about moving forward.

What have you committed to act on today? To help hold you accountable, you can post your comments here.

Blogathon 2012 -- Let the games begin!

Part of the celebration: new license plates!

The WordCount Blogathon 2012 has officially begun. Today marks the first day of 31 days of non-stop blogging with a blogging community you'll get to know during this next month here through BIKE WITH JACKIE. This time around my theme is all about the BIKE. In fact, to celebrate, I ordered new license plates -- vanity plates -- to represent my recommitment to the BIKE philosophy, or should I say my recommitment to write the book (memoir) about it.

As you may know, BIKE is an acronym that stands for what I see as the four key elements of who you are inside, what you're really made of, or, in other words, your core. It's a metaphor that leads you to:

1) find your Best self.
2) access your Inner strength.
3) develop your Killer instincts.
4) use your Expressive voice.

It's action-oriented. That means, it requires you to do something. There's good reason for that, and it's called taking responsibility.

Many of us were brought up without understanding who we really are, so we became what others wanted us to be, or what we thought others expected of us. We never stopped playing follow the leader, and we certainly didn't realize we could lead ourselves. I can what??? Nobody ever told me that.


Well, now you know.


Here, you learn a process that will show you how to identify the true core of your being. This identification as essential in order to live the life that best suits you. You. Not anyone else. To do that, of course you first must know yourself! It's not just me who believes this. "Know thyself" is a borrowed phrase from ancient Greece and before. Even Plato admitted it was a long-standing maxim when he used the phrase.

Okay, so while I'm not a Greek philosopher. What I am is experienced in the knowledge of what happens when you don't know yourself. You commit to relationships that are wrong for you. Been there. You take jobs that you hate. Done that. You say "yes" or "okay, fine," when you really mean "no." Do I have to tell you how many times I've done that? You could very well become a bitter person should this pattern continue. Whew! Shot past that one. When you don't know yourself, you act like someone else or for someone else. You don't feel like the you you really are, because you aren't, and you might not even realize on a conscious level why or that it's even going on. You don't have awareness.

But awareness is key.

I learned this first-hand during my bike rides to get through a three-year divorce. I witnessed the transformation and embraced it. What happened? Turns out that mind-body connection really works. I naturally used time on my mountain bike to assess and ponder what I was going through and how I wanted to respond. Taking in all the information that was coming my way -- advice from a good lawyer, financial consultation, friends' well-meaning jabs at the soon-to-be ex, and sisters on both sides who wanted me to "take him for all he's got" -- I processed. I knew right off that I wanted to respond in such a way that I'd be able to walk away from a marriage gone wrong with my head held high when all was said and done. I accomplished that. I didn't feel the need "take him for all he's got," I let the lawyers -- his and mine -- do their jobs. I just wanted my life back.

But first, I needed to reconnect with the me I knew I'd once been. She got lost somewhere between the "I do" and the "I'm done!" Intent on digging her back out, I wanted her to breathe air again. I believed in her.

And I'm not saying I didn't say or do things I shouldn't have, but I'm saying I made decisions methodically, strategically, thoughtfully, and I don't regret a thing. I could have had more. I might have had less. Whatever the case, I took care of myself. And I was able to do that because I listened and learned, appreciating that only I had the answers to how I would move past the unexpected pain. I had to trust I could take what was given to me and what I sought out for myself and use it wisely. Isn't that what we all really want when we're experiencing a life challenge? To come out of it still intact? To love ourselves when it's over?

Almost from that very first ride, I knew I was drawn to that bike for a reason. After all, it had been sitting in my garage for years. I hadn't ridden it but maybe a dozen times before. Maybe. So I knew there was a purpose to all of this. I just didn't know exactly what until much later. But I knew, and never let that knowledge stray. So I kept journals. Boxes full of them. 

And don't worry. This is not about riding a bike, though that's the tool I was drawn to use. You might be drawn to something else. Maybe running, hiking, sewing, fishing, boating, painting, writing, sketching, anything that is yours and yours alone. See, this is about finding that safe place to consider the challenges you're experiencing and to make sure you're responding in such a way that keeps you moving forward. It's your answer, not mine.

That doesn't mean you won't screw up, make mistakes and maybe even fail. What it does mean is that despite those screw ups, mistakes and failures, you will know how to overcome even those setbacks. They won't flatten your tire for too long. You'll be able to put the brakes on the stuff that threatens your success (even if it's just a mental pause, you know, like a negative thought or two or ten!), move them out of the way, and move on.

You'll be drawn to the things that will save you. You'll seek help where you know you can find it. You'll trust that you are doing what's right for you. And you'll walk away from your experiences feeling a sense of satisfaction and self-approval. You won't rely on others for that. And you will definitely reconnect with the spiritual guide you believe in to help lead the way. I think that, too, will come naturally, as we're all spiritual beings regardless of our awareness or lack thereof. That's what I believe.

If you don't know already, I teach what I call the "BIKE Lessons" in four-part increments, one letter at a time, to women in transition. I also give break-out presentations and keynotes to women's groups, business luncheons, and conference gatherings. My background has left me with a ton of stories to tell about each individual letter. It's why I can connect with my audience. Basically, I teach coping mechanisms, using the BIKE philosophy as the road guide. Just as my travel guide is a map to Arizona, guiding you to state thrills. My BIKE Lessons guide you to joy. Both are all about happy endings, and this is why I'm known as the BIKE LADY. It was a name given to me at a conference several years ago, and I've embraced it since then, mostly for the positive message it represents. Despite the challenges I've faced in life, I've had many things given to me, and that's what I want to give back: a positive return on your personal time investment. I want your time here to matter.

My BIKE is about moving forward. This is Day 1 of the Blogathon. For the next 30 days, we'll celebrate a sort of revival here. Maybe along the way, you'll reconnect with something that you've set aside and are on the verge or the fence about trying again. If so, I hope you'll share your story.

See you tomorrow? I hope so. 

Living life with purpose

When Rick Warren's book, A Purpose-Filled Life, first came out (how many years ago?), I bought the hard cover and read it right to the end. What stayed with me more than his overall content, however, was simply the concept -- that we can live a life devoted to our purpose, and that we all have one.

What I've learned since is that when you resist accepting your purpose, when you ignore it, it won't let you. It keeps coming back to you in ways that can seem downright annoying. For example, it'll distract you or make you procrastinate on projects that have little bearing on your purpose. It's trying to tell you something very important: We're wasting daylight here. Get on with your purpose, already!

It's just best to follow the command when it first begins to make its appearance. Otherwise, you can expect further annoyances -- and failures that will make you doubt who you are. That's because you're not behaving like the you that you really are or were meant to be. 

Ideally, you would perk up and listen, then act immediately, right? But, hey, we live in an imperfect world where we make mistakes. At the time his book came out, I was on to my purpose. I had him in sight. I was ready to reel him in and get cooking. But some time after 2010, I let it go. Poof! Just like that.

I got scared. I feared failure. I questioned myself: What if I can't make this work? What if no one wants to hear my story? I don't know what I'm doing!!!

But in the back of my mind, I still believed in my story. I still believed in the message. I still believed I had what it would take to deliver it. And I had all the encouragers I could possibly need. My purpose should have been ready to roll.

But I wasn't. I kept letting ego get in the way.

Even though I had given myself the opportunity to practice my purpose -- to prove myself -- I was looking for approval from the outside, not from within. In order to live a life with purpose, I have come to realize, it doesn't matter what other people believe. It matters only what you believe. Your purpose comes from within you. It's part of who you are. Based on your life experiences, yes. Based on how you respond to them, yes. Based on a host of other things that have little to do with them but everything to do with you and your spiritual connection with the world. Now, Rick Warren says it's not about you. But I'm certain it has to be about you in the sense that you have to come to believe and accept your purpose. If you don't embrace it, you're not going to live it. Trust me on that. That means, whether you live out your purpose or not rests on your shoulders, not anyone else's. All the amount of encouragement -- or discouragement -- you get from anyone else won't matter.

Ultimately, the responsibility rests on your hands, your shoulders, your action.

It's your purpose and your life, and no one else can live that out for you. 

Still, we're in the habit of seeking outside approval, aren't we? From our parents. From our religious leaders. From our friends. From others we mistakenly think might have a say. We do it out of habit and don't even realize that we have all the answers we need within. We just need to listen or pay attention, and then act on it.

That's what my BIKE work was all about. I still believe in the philosophy. I still live it. Now I'm ready to teach it again, but this time to teach it outside the safe confines of this blog or the volunteer work that I've done, or the commercial venues that weren't going to allow me to grow my purpose financially, because they were the wrong venues.

I'm ready to put the package together that will be directed at the right venues, the right market, the right people...people like you who want to be inspired to take positive action for yourself.

If you've been around long enough, you know I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I was thinking I needed to move away from the BIKE. I didn't feel I was clear enough on the message. I thought it was too cumbersome. But that wasn't true. That was my internal struggle talking.

If you're wondering what took me out of the struggle, it's simple. For some reason, I was drawn to the right article at the right time, and that article led me to a person I needed to meet. I found the courage inside of me to introduce myself via an email. I asked for his help (though he didn't know he was helping me, really). And he responded in the way I'd hoped. He said yes, inviting me to speak to his class.

Simple, yes? Well, yes and no. You have to be open to the opportunity. You have to seek it out. You have to be ready to accept the help. And, thankfully, I was.

And then a miracle happened. At least, it felt like a miracle to me. His students responded...not only to the topic I showed up to speak about -- writing travel guides -- but they also wanted to know about my BIKE. This BIKE. The one you come here to read about. The one I'd set aside as a lost cause. And they weren't the only ones. A few days before that, I'd met a woman who wanted to know more as well. One curious inquiry is good. But two or more in the same week? That's not encouragement. That's a sign. And I'm a big believer in signs. The whole BIKE story wouldn't exist with a sign, without a spiritual force guiding me exactly where I needed to go. Yes, I believe in signs -- especially since I hadn't given a BIKE presentation at all in at least a year. I hadn't written much about it, either. I had basically tossed it to the ground, as if I were fed up with it. I wasn't, but I was afraid.
 
And that fear caused me to redirect myself in the WRONG direction.

That's so annoying.

Turns out this class was acting as the Universe, pushing me when I didn't even know I needed the push. The Universe has known all along what I'm supposed to be doing. And deep down inside of me I knew, too. That's why I was drawn to this instructor. That's why I asked him if I could speak to his class. That's why he said yes. And that's why I'm posting this message today. My glorious God who runs my Universe told me to get back on the seat of my bike and ride. Dammit!

Ride, Jackie ride!

So this is me, embracing the moniker someone gave to me when I first started talking about the BIKE acronym. They called me the BIKE LADY, and they wanted to hear my story. Who am I to deny them? After all, my natural affinity is to inspire people. I've done it all my life without knowing it. Not every single, teenage mom finishes high school or graduates from college as I did. Not every young widow knows how to provide a safe and secure home for her children who are grieving the loss of a second dad, as I did. And not every ex-wife can take the lessons she learned because of a cheating husband and spin them into a positive message like I did -- the one you're reading here. Not every woman comes out of chaos still smiling because she knows how to connect with her inner joy. But I do.

The lessons I've learned from the abuses I've experienced in life, and from the tragedies as well as the triumphs, are lessons that other people can learn from. We are not perfect human beings. We are not exempt from making mistakes, big ones that will affect our lives long-term. But we are capable of learning from our imperfections so that we can do a better job next time around. And that's what my BIKE gives us the opportunity to do -- to get the do-overs.

This is my purpose -- to teach the lessons I have learned so that others behind me can find their own understanding, their own forgiveness, their own joyful life.

I have arrived in the great state of TRUST, where I can trust in the Universe and what the Universe has entrusted me to do. It's that simple.

And if I read your comments over, I can see you've been telling me this all along!

I, apparently, needed just one more push, and I got it while talking about guidebook writing to a small travel writing class last week. When one of the students wrote on an index card I gave them, "You could really be an inspirational speaker," I had to laugh because I already am. It's time to act like it! 

See? Acceptance. We all have a purpose in life. We just first need to recognize it. And then we need to accept it without struggle. 

Last year, when I was writing about my re-branding process, this is where that has taken me.

From here on out, I have a clear purpose -- to guide you, inspire you, lead you to trust in who you really are at your core. That was the lesson I learned from the seat of my bike when I first started riding it back in 2002. And here we are, 10 years later, and the message still rings true.

Just as I did when I began my journey, you, too, can uncover your Best self. You can access your Inner strength. You can pay attention and even act on your Killer instinct. And, yes, you can utilize your Expressive voice. That's what the BIKE is all about. You just have to become aware of it. Once you do, it's all forward movement from here.

We'll continue to talk about that here, and I hope you'll continue to join me for the ride.

And if you like, please share your own story about your struggle with your purpose. I think we've all had one at some time or another. Let's hear yours.

Recovery: Accessing your Inner strength

I've only met one person in my life who thought he'd never had a bad day. Nothing ever hurt him. He wasn't bothered by anything. Neither did he express a whole lot of emotion. That was my ex, and I thought it impossible to live like that.

Even after he fired someone at work, even when the day came that he found out his own job was expendable, he still never talked about it and certainly didn't give off the impression that he was hurting inside. He kept it all to himself, no matter how much I encouraged him to share. He just didn't.

I'd tell him things like, "Some day, you're going to explode," because I don't believe a person can hold stuff in like that. I don't believe it's healthy. And I was right. Turns out, he was releasing his anxiety in other ways. The things that did hurt him or bother him was all hidden in behavior he didn't want anyone to know about--till it suited him.

And on the day that it suited him was the day my life changed forever.

I'd had my Inner strength tested before. After all, I'd married as a teenager. I'd become a single parent in college. I'd become a widow afterward. I knew I could survive terrible times. I'd done it before. I had "experience."

But the day my then-husband announced his famous line to me at our kitchen table--"Jackie, I've been lying to you. I've been living a secret life. I think I'm a sex addict"--was my real test. His were the words I did not understand. His choices in life were the choices that left me reeling in a pain I could not stop. That was the only time in my life when I was no longer sure how much I could handle.

So my short lesson for you today is this: Know that you can handle a lot!

You'll have to dig deep to find all that Inner strength within. You'll have to trust it's there. And some days you won't. You'll have to keep digging. You'll have to believe you can go deeper when you need it. You'll have to rely on your natural instincts. You'll have to have faith that you can move those mountains. You'll have to know that it's possible if you expect to overcome the really bad stuff.

Oh, trust me. It's natural to feel otherwise, to think you're broken beyond repair. But as long as there's even the tiniest part of you that knows otherwise, that is where you'll begin. You'll take it one second at a time if that's all you can muster. Because to fall prey to victimhood will not be the right answer in this multiple choice game of life. That response will only allow you to fail at life. But you can rise above the fall.

You may not come out on the other side the same person that you were--Hopefully, you'll arrive on the other side a better person--but you will come out of your challenging times. You will if you let yourself, and if you find the guide you need to get you there.

As you know now, my guide was my bike. It was divine intervention. It was very symbolic. And it worked.

Your guide might be something else entirely, but it is still the same process. You must still believe, have faith, and see beyond the pain. No one else can do that for you.

So just know that you always have the ability to access your Inner strength. It is there and will be there at precisely the moment when it's needed. To gain some of that believe or faith, practice accessing your Inner strength today while making that phone call you don't want to make, or having that conversation with a friend you've been avoiding, or somehow feeling stuck in a situation that feels uncomfortable. Make the call. Talk to your friend. Get past the situation that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Do whatever is is that you may have thought impossible, and you'll see that the other side isn't so bad. And you will feel better because of it.

Recovery Reminder #6: Find your pathway

The best way to be reminded that you're in Recovery--and that this means forward movement--is by finding your pathway, your North Star, your internal guide.

I found mine on a bicycle. When I needed it, it was there, called out to me--and I rode.

For three years, I rode that bike daily. I thought it was to relieve the anxiety I felt. But it was more than that, I would soon learn. It was like I was on autopilot. Granted, my life was in chaos, my thoughts were scattered, and I wasn't quite sure where I'd wind up. But I knew one thing: I knew that the bike was going to take me places. Not on tours or a vacation, or anything like that--not then. But I knew my bike was my salvation of sorts, and it was going to lead me where my mind needed to go.

Don't ask me why I knew that. I can only tell you it was divine intervention, and some people may not get that. But I did. I trusted and believed, because that's all I had at the time--hope. My bike became a symbol of hope for me, and I knew it was an important part of my Recovery, so I trusted in it.

Briefly, here's what happened on the road: I watched my growth occur in real time.

I went from being able to ride--barely--one mile, huffing and puffing all the way, to being able to ride 20, easily. I can ride much more now, but back then, that was a big deal to me. I also saw how, not only my body, but also my mind could take the hills up ahead. In the beginning, I'd see a hill up ahead and turn around. But when transformation occurred, that changed. Where once I would tell myself, "No, you can't do that. Turn around," I soon began to realize I didn't even notice the hills until after I'd approached them and was flying back down them. I didn't turn away from them anymore. They were no longer an obstacle. They were an opportunity to get to the other side--easier. The downhill ride is always the easiest.

I had accessed my Inner strength in ways I never thought possible. And it spilled over into other areas of my life. Where once I could not run a mile, I could now run 3 or 4, without stopping. Not fast. But no stopping. And, where once, I couldn't finish so much as a chapter in a book, I wrote the entire tome. You can see that in the upper right-hand corner of this page--below the blog title. That's my book. It's an accomplishment I once thought unlikely.

Removing the fear of success in that area of my life--my writing career--occurred all because of my bike, that metal contraption that became a mental one. You hear people say, "It's all in your head," and it is. But you want the right things to be there, not the negative stuff, not the negative self-talk that holds you back, or the worries and the fears that keep you from living the best life possible, the funnest life possible, the one you want to share with other people. You want to replace the negative with the positive. And that occurred for me because of an old mountain bike that once sat collecting dust in my garage.

I found my pathway to success, and it was on the seat of a bike. Yours might be on a jogging path, or a hiking trail, or on the blank canvas, or perhaps in your embroidery needles. It might even be behind the ropes on a horse or the wheel of a car or boat, or perhaps behind the trigger of a gun--if you're into target practice. You find your pathway when you give yourself the time and space necessary to connect with who you really are inside, who you are at your very core, what makes you you and why you respond to things in a certain way, and whether or not you need to learn something from that, to alter something in order to do it better or to feel better or to be better.

My mountain bike became a different kind of BIKE, a symbol for all that I am and all that I am capable of. It no longer stood for Trek. Instead, it stood for my: Best self, Inner strength, Killer instinct, Expressive voice.

I write about what that really means here and how you can have it, too.

Stay tuned or read through the archives to learn more. It's a life story filled with lessons from the seat of my bike. And it's kinda fun.

The paths we must take

I can't tell you that I ever dreamed I'd write a travel guide, because I didn't. It wasn't a dream I can remember ever having. In fact, I never expected to write a book.

I didn't think about that until I started riding my bike. And the book I thought I would write then had nothing to do with travel...at least not in the touristy kind of sense.

The book I dreamed about writing, and will write next, had to do with the journey in my head. That will be my BIKE LESSONS book. But it's not time for that one yet.

Despite the 35-page proposal I wrote for what I can call my dream book now, that work morphed into a travel guide. Not physically. But by coincidence, perhaps serendipity.

My BIKE book idea didn't take off when I thought it would, because, I know now, it wasn't yet time. I was given a different choice. I met people, by circumstance, who led me down a different path.

And I must admit, it's a path I'm glad I took, because I have always wanted to travel all parts of Arizona. Because of that, my natural instincts took over, and I knew exactly what to do to get a completely different proposal off the ground. I included in it places I have always wanted to visit: Tubac, Lake Havasu City, Greer. And I did visit all of those places.

The other trips taken for research for the travel guide involved places I'd never heard much about before--Aravaipa Canyon, Page Springs, Young. I was open to exploring them, because they included a history or amenity or peculiarity that seemed interesting to me and, based on reading about them ahead of time, worthwhile. Aravaipa Canyon is a lush and remote region of the Sonoran Desert that is relatively unknown. It's a place for backpackers and birders and people who don't mind hiking in a stream bed. It sounded intriguing, and I was invited to go by friends unexpectedly. Page Springs? That visit involved another invite, and I learned what was once not much more than ranchland is now a place ripe with vineyards. And Young? It comes with a very remote piece of Arizona history that wasn't very pretty at the time but is quite attractive now.

At some point, I realized this travel guide was the exact path I needed to take in order to get to the place I needed to go. My BIKE book awaits. It is patient. And I am learning to be.

I recall some hesitancy as I moved forward with the Arizona travel. I was driving places I'd never been before, using maps I'd never held, looking for signs I'd never seen. It was all so new. What I understand this book to be about now is preparation. Preparation for a bigger project. It came with quite a huge learning curve. And I made it to the end. Such a good feeling when I consider all that it took to get here. It helped me build a confidence I will need for the next book, for my dream book, which I expect to have a far greater impact.

The amazing thing to me is that I now realize different people approach the same place differently. I have written a book that is similar to what others have written. But no two people will ever see it quite the same. Some of the places I visited would never make a list of 1001 places you should see before you die, but they are all beautiful just the same. They all have their own story to tell. And I'm glad I am now able to be one of the story tellers.

While researching and writing this book I learned yet another important lesson: The paths we think we want to take are not always the ones we need at the moment. But if we keep moving forward, the paths we must take will appear when we are ready to see them. When they do, it's then time to make a choice: take it or turn away.

The next time you cross a path you're not sure you should take, maybe because it takes you where you weren't expecting to go, how will you know what to do? Do you think there is a right or a wrong? Share your thoughts. Perhaps you have some insights we haven't yet heard.

(The above photo of the West Baldy Trail near Greer, Arizona was taken in June 2009 by Jackie Dishner.)

Fresh start

Yesterday, I officially began participating in a blogathon. Should be a fun-filled month ahead, with lots of links and back and forth commenting. At least I hope it works out that way.

Today, I chose the above picture to post because I just returned from New York, where the tulips are blooming all over the city. I found these in Central Park. I took several shots, but this one was my favorite. Since I'm not feeling well (I returned home with a head cold. Not swine flu. No worries there.), I thought it would be nice to give myself--and you--some flowers and the promise of a fresh start. Don't know about you, but I feel better already. ;-)

At BIKE WITH JACKIE this month, during the blogathon, we'll focus on a theme--the fresh start.

I find when I am in healing mode (whether that's from a cold, a personal upset, or other unfortunate circumstance) I look for the beautiful things in life, tulips, for instance. What about you? When you're down or feeling lousy--no matter what the cause--are you able to look for, see, and focus on things that can set your mind at ease?

For the next 30 days or so, I'll share with you what I do to steer my thoughts in the direction of what I do to keep the momentum of forward movement going, even when a ride is not possible on the road. For me, the ride is always possible inside my head. It can be the same with you as well.

So, we'll start with tulips. Then, each day I'll post a new picture and comment on things that keep me going or things that help me stay focused on where I'm going. Maybe it'll help feed the creative juices inside of you, so that you can do the same for yourself for whatever your goals might be.

At BIKE WITH JACKIE, we focus on living life with purpose, making conscious choices, and moving toward that which feeds the soul. Flowers in a garden can feed the soul. We'll start there. Tomorrow, please come back to see what else.

Speaking from the soul

Funny how things line up exactly the way you need them at exactly the moment you need them.

That's how I felt on Saturday when I attended a meeting at the speakers' group to which I belong. It had been several months since my last visit, and Saturday's line-up featured a presentation by Dr. Carl Hammerschlag who spoke about "Speaking from the Soul." I had never heard him speak before, but I'd heard many good things about his work. So I was glad to pay my fee to attend.

And I wasn't disappointed.

The man's easy manner with the audience, the warmth reflected in his voice, his slow and steady pace, the natural way he moved in his space...I'm sure it wasn't just me who sat there transfixed.

Of course, the doctor's message is something that rings true for me, so it could have been just that. I doubt it. I think the entire roomful of people felt much the same as I did.

I'll be giving my first presentation next week after several months off the platform and have been feeling out of practice. So it was good to be reminded to speak with authenticity. I can do that. Dr. Hammerschlag told us that people are craving this right now. And I have been told I do this well. Listening to his presentation renewed my sense of self, thankfully.

Interestingly enough, since my recent travels included time on the Navajo Reservation, I could relate to his mention of the Navajo word for truth, hozho. He explained that it means more than that. It's a word that comes from the Navajo way of life, to walk in beauty or harmony. It's their truth. It's who they are, their soul. In other words, to speak your truth, is to speak from the soul, he explained.

It seems simple enough.

But he said it requires risk-taking, and people don't necessarily like to be vulnerable in front of others. But to speak your truth, to speak from the soul, requires it.

What you say with your words, he told us, you must mean in your heart, and it must be reflected in your actions--at least most of the time (His assessment allows for imperfection.).

Although he was talking about speaking, or presenting on the platform, his directive to "risk the unknown" goes beyond that. We can all benefit from risking the unknown. He says it's about trusting your gut. As I've learned from my own experiences, there is no greater truth than that.

If you haven't done this lately, ask yourself these questions:

What risks have I taken lately?
Are my words reflective of my actions?
In my own struggles, how have I shown that I can trust that which I don't know?

If you speak from the soul when you answer these questions, you will begin to find your hozho.

That is some of what I've learned from the seat of my bike. I was pleased to have the good doctor confirm it for me.

All my best,
Jackie

News and gloom

An economic downturn, layoffs, business closings...and now the California fires that have left 100's of families without homes.

This is not good news. Even the thought of a new president with charisma, charm and inspirational ideas about giving our country an economic facelift doesn't change that fact.

So what are you doing to overcome the challenges you're personally facing at home and at work?

A bike ride, alone, won't cut it.

I know that. I don't try to pretend here that it will. But it can help make a difference in how you perceive your personal challenges. If your bank account is running low, if your job is on the line, if you're having difficulty finding work, if your business is in need of customers, if you're worried about your financial future, my special brand of BIKE--This one's mental, not metal--is a tool you use to combat the fear, the anxiety, the stress. I use it daily. I also ride daily. And in those really tough times, where emotion takes over, and I forget, it's okay, because I know, just as my physical bike is parked in my garage, my mental bike is parked in my head; it'll be there the minute I choose to "ride."

Because, you see, I, too, still get stressed and worry and sometimes slip into negative-thinking mode. Sometimes, I do not operate at my optimum. And, like you, I am concerned about the economy. I am concerned when I read about yet another publishing company that's laying off employees or dumping a magazine altogether. These are sources of my income. It does send my thoughts to wonder where the next job will come from if the magazine I write for is shutting down. These are pretty normal concerns for me. And whatever your concerns are, I bet they're normal for you.

I can't imagine one person who is not affected by what's going on with Wall Street and beyond on some level. It's not good news out there, and there's not much to convince us it's going to get better any time soon. Even when I try to ignore it, I get a statement in the mail that I don't want to read. I know the numbers it lists are down. I'm not sure if want to really see how low or imagine how low they could still go. I don't know that it would be productive to look right now. But I do, and then I file the statement away. I do not control those numbers, so I just take charge of how I respond to them.

And I know we are never without hope. Things will turn around. That's a given. It's just a matter of time, and we don't have the ability to predict how long this cycle will last.

But you can stop spinning your wheels with my special brand of BIKE. At least, it's a start. It'll help you become more aware of who you are and what you're really made of inside. It's a good idea to know that during tumultuous times. The more you know about yourself, the better chance you have of overcoming the challenges that life drops in your lap when you least expect them. You won't act hastily. You'll take the time to think through the challenge--no matter what it is--consider your options, and respond in the best way that works for you. We just bring more trouble into our lives when we react to chaos, instead of respond to it. And that's how my BIKE can help. But you have to learn how to make it yours.

If you're new to my blog, here are a few past posts that tell you more:

And since I am teaching my BIKE Lessons via the telephone now, post a message if you'd like to know more.

All my best,
Jackie

New beginnings

What if you treated every day as a new beginning? What if you woke up and just knew that today was the day you started that new job, read that book you've been meaning to read, or ordered the business cards for that new business you've been hesitant to begin?

What if you started your day out like that?

Wouldn't that be something?

It would mean you were beginning to trust yourself, to trust in your ideas, to have faith in your ability. It would mean you had decided to let yourself enjoy your life and connect with what you love, what you know you can do, and what you're most passionate about.

I share this with you because I look back on the past few years, where I've been, where I'm going, and I see nothing but growth. Last summer, I wanted to sell a book idea, and I'm now on the verge of having two books to write. Twice what I wanted. I wanted to teach my BIKE lessons, and now I'm near the end of my first class. It's being very well received, and I'm so thrilled. I wanted to increase the number of national markets I would write for, and I did that as well. Those successes are proof that you can do what you decide to do. It just takes action. Just like the message behind the famous remark by the German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius, power and magic within it.

That phrase has returned and returned to me in various forms throughout my life, and it's continued to serve me well. It's a symbolic reminder, and I think I'll use that in my BIKE lesson this coming Wednesday to the group of women at Homeward Bound. I'm teaching them about listening to their gut, and I can see in their eyes and hear in their voices that they're willing. But they don't yet have the full faith in themselves. Some day they will.

Some day, sooner than they think, they'll wake up knowing they can accomplish good things in life.

I hope they'll let me know about it when it happens.

Here's an exercise for you to try: Count the number of accomplishments you've had this past week. Write them down on a piece of paper and post them where you can see them every day. On the mirror in your bathroom, for example. Use that note as a reminder to yourself that every day brings the opportunity to move that much closer to your goal. Whatever it is you have yet to do, you can start today. You can be bold.

All my best,
Jackie