A break from the blogathon? Yeah, right!

I thought I might take a break after the blogathon to catch up on paperwork, but I couldn't help myself. I had to post. And now I'm wondering, how do you handle a backlog of paperwork:

a) stack it up?
b) ignore it till later?
c) take care of all paperwork as it crosses your desk?
d) did I say, ignore it?
e) none of the above?
f) a mix of the above?
g) other?
g) if a mix or other, how do you respond this way and why?

Inspired by the phrase "road trip"

"Road trip!"

Have you ever shouted that out loud when you've gotten behind the wheel of your car, ready to hit the road for a trip out of town?

Maybe you were just headed to the airport. Maybe you were just getting away for the day. Maybe you were en route to a well-planned actual road trip.

It's a favorite phrase of mine whenever I hit the road, for almost no matter what. I just like the sound of it. I even found myself saying it the day I took my boyfriend to the hospital for his open heart surgery a few weeks ago. Seriously. As soon as we'd packed his overnight bags in the back seat, were buckled in, and I'd opened the garage door, the words came tumbling out as natural as can be, "Road trip!"

He laughed. It made me laugh. Of course we knew we were not headed to a tourist destination, but those words instantly broke the silence and helped to ease the uneasiness of the mood in the car. Heart surgery is no small thing. He was beyond worried. I was worried for him. And the first thing that came to mind was the option to pretend this was something fun instead. It helped make the drive that much easier. Then, he turned on his relaxation tapes, and we finished the ride out with positive intention.

Soon after I met the guy, we went on our first road trip together. We'd planned to drive up to Sedona in my new SUV for the Jazz Festival. But we got stuck in traffic and veered off in a spontaneous change of mind to an out of the way place I'd never been called Seven Springs. We took the Carefree Highway to get there, and once past the little town of Carefree, north of Scottsdale, it turned out to be a dustier, rockier ride than what we'd originally intended. The road to Sedona is all freeway. This was dirt trail, with rusted out car parts appearing frequently here and there. We laughed as were jostled around, imagining my new Nissan Pathfinder dropping a bumber or a hubcap or a headlight on the way. It's good to have a sense of humor about such things, as I'd never ridden on a dirt road before, and I never really thought I'd want to do it in my new car. But I did, and that road trip turned out to be one of many we'd take together. Who knew this guy would be my inspiration for such adventures and lead to me writing my first book, BACKROADS & BYWAYS OF ARIZONA!

When you think of the phrase yourself, maybe you think of the movies featuring a road trip or two. One of the more popular that comes to mind would be"National Lampoon's Vacation." But there are many others, including "Dumb & Dumber," "The Bucket List," "Little Miss Sunshine," Sideways" and "Almost Famous." Film directors know a good theme when they've driven it. Road trip movies work because we can relate to the sense of freedom you feel on the open road. That's what made Route 66 historic. That's why lots of people, myself included, dream of taking a year off and traveling the country by RV. These are all good reasons to be inspired by the phrase.

A road trip takes you places. It allows you to see the world from a wider view. And I don't know anyone who hasn't experienced a major life change and not thought about getting in the car and taking off somewhere to deal, or avoid dealing, whichever the case may be.


So tell me about your last road trip. Where'd you go? What'd you do? Is there a road trip somewhere in your dreams that you'd yet like to take? Tell us all about it here. 


Meanwhile, here are a three tips that will help you welcome the spontaneous action into your life:

1. Always keep your gas tank filled to full. That way, you're always prepared to get up and go.
2. The next time you're anywhere near a selection of maps, buy the one that appeals to you most. That will help keep your road trip dream alive. When the time is right, you'll know.
3. If this would be your first road trip, and you'd want to do it alone but you're nervous, plan and execute a day trip near your home. This will build your confidence for the real road trip ahead.

Celebrate your connections

Just a quick post to make a few announcements to let you know what's ahead at BIKE WITH JACKIE:

• RANDOM BIKE PHOTO I want to remind you about the new section I created this month. Called "Random Bike Photo," you'll see it on the right-hand side, above my bio/photo. I thought it would be fun to post bike photos on the blog--both for amusement and to help you associate the BIKE with positive mental imagery. At first, I thought I'd just post photos that I took myself, random bikes that I see during my travels, and such. But I had interest from some of my readers, and they've sent in their own photos (See Jennifer Fink's photo up now.). I have two more scheduled to run in June, and I have several more of my own to post. But if you come across a bike and want to take a picture of it for me, or have a photo already, let me know about it. Either post a comment in today's post or any post after today (I'll get it!), or follow me on Twitter (@bikelady), and we'll get that posted for you. The more unique the better. In other words, those bikes you see in unusual places, I like that. Well, using good judgment, of course.
  

• BOOK REVIEWS I've announced this before, but I have a library full of books that either I have read or will be reading for inspiration and advancing my knowledge about the mind/body connection, which is really what my BIKE philosophy is all about. So I'll be posting book reviews or more Q/As with authors in the future. Watch for those.

• READER PROFILES I also would like to incorporate a regular interview with my followers into the blog. For one, it helps me get to know you better. And secondly, it will allow readers to get to know you as well. You all have some kind of common thread that drives you here, so it'll be interesting to see what that might be. So I'll be contacting you periodically to see if you're interested in participating in that. The interview would allow me to find out what brought you here, what's working for you, and what we can do better in the future. Also, I'd include links to your books/blogs/Web sites, so you can gain a little advertising out of it as well. When your interview is posted, I hope you'll refer the site to friends, family and colleagues so you can fully enjoy your 15 minutes of fame.
  

If you have any suggestions, thoughts, or comments that you'd like to share now about other ways to celebrate connections, please post them below. As always, I love to hear what you have to say. I'm here to help you learn new ways to move your life forward, or to encourage you in any way possible.

Savor the serendipity

Beginning today, I'll be posting a random photo of bikes I see while on the road or in the community...just for fun.

Since I keep running into them everywhere, and the photo in yesterday's post inspired me to do something more with these opportunities that keep showing up, I decided that's what I'd do. It's a little serendipity I could not ignore.

You'll see the first of the random photos below my profile on the left. My friend, Beque Allen, took the photo last night at the end of the Arizona Press Club Awards Banquet where winners for the 2008 contest were announced. We were talking to the security guard on the way out of the Walter Cronkite J-school (where the banquet took place), and I saw the police bike just standing there all by itself in front of his desk. So I asked the officer if I could borrow it. Before he could say no, I stood behind it, and Beque snapped a few shots with the camera on her phone and e-mailed me this one right away.

She's taken a few others for me that I'll be posting from time to time. I'd love to be able to post new ones regularly. If you're out and about and see a random bike, especially if it's in an unsual location, I'd love it if you sent me a copy. You can e-mail it to me: jackiedishner AT msn dot com.

If you're willing to see them, random repeat moments like these make life a little more interesting. Interesting fuels the passion, and passion, of course, is something that keeps you moving forward.

Is there some kind of serendipity you've noticed going on in your life lately? If so, post your comments here.

How to find focus in four easy steps

I'm working on a long-term project that has required my utmost attention as of late. I've run into a few snafus with my concentration levels. In other words, I've slacked off. In order to find the focus I need to complete this task, I've had to do several things.

If you're in need of finding focus for a project you're working on, maybe you'll benefit from these tips:

1) Walk away. Listen to what your mind and body are telling you. Sometimes, you just need to break away from a big project. Rather than fight the procrastination, embrace it. Do something else. Go shopping for those grocery items you need to restock in the fridge. Clean that bathroom. Do the laundry. Ride your bike. No matter what other task you decide to take on, it will help you clear your mind. When you come back to the original task, you'll be refreshed and able to move forward on the job.

2) Start small. Stop thinking about the immensity of the project you need to complete. Hone in on one small part of it, and do that first. Then hone in on another small part of it, and do that. Before you know it, you will have completed a larger piece of the project than you would have thought you could.

3) Think big. Now you can consider the job in its finished form. What will it look like when you finish it? Is this a project that will have your name on it? Will you achieve recognition because of this job? Accept the potential impact and how you will affect that. Be proud of what you've achieved, the trust others have given to you. Be pleased with your progress as it is now so that you can honor what it will be when complete.

4) Sit down. If you continue to feel the urge to move away from your desk and away from the piles of work yet to do, don't. Stay seated. The contradictions in our mind during a difficult project are similar to the contradictions that play out in any difficult moment. The yes/no, the back and forth. These struggles are meant to test you. Show this project that you are worthy. Show this project that you are capable. And then do the work.

5) BONUS: Repeat steps 1-4. Whatever it takes, you've earned the responsibility to move from start to finish. Honor the responsibility by taking on the obstacles that get in the way, even if one of those obstacles is you. It's not uncommon to engage in self-sabotage for fear of success. Whether your obstacles are real or imagined, caused by yourself or others, leading you down a path that takes you further away from progress, decide today to face them head on.

Only then can you find your focus.

If you're experiencing a challenge right now, what steps are you taking to overcome it? Post a comment and let us know. Your thoughts may be useful to someone else who joins us here at BIKE WITH JACKIE (BWJ).

Thanks for visiting. If you'd like to subscribe to BWJ, you can find the subscription icon on the right-hand side of the page. Scroll down and when you find it, click on the appropriate link, and add your e-mail address. It's that simple.

All my best,
Jackie