I Did the Unthinkable...And This is What I Learned

For employers wanting to create employee loyalty, I believe it starts with creating a space for employees to freely express their needs. I am very fortunate to work for a company who honors the needs of their employees, and although time off is a luxury, I believe we all need it...especially after the wild ride of 2020.

One month ago...I made the decision to take a 1 month sabbatical from work...which is a hard ask and unthinkable in our culture. I had always had the goal and dream of completing the Colorado Trail via mountain bike, but never thought I would have the time to do it. When your soul yells at you loud enough, you have to listen...So, I wanted to share what I learned in my 625 miles on the trail in hopes that it will resonate both in and out of the workspace...(since this line has become very blurry for most). Enjoy!

1. Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First. Although I have given this advice to many friends in the past, the sole purpose of this trip was to put my oxygen mask on. Before leaving, I wasn’t fully present and able to give myself fully to my friends, family, clients, and colleagues, which is a terrible feeling. I was too preoccupied with making myself feel mentally normal and better. Now I don't think of taking care of myself first as selfish, I think of it as a gift to be able to give myself fully to the world.?

2. Make Time for Play (in the Mud). I don’t know what it is about being covered in mud, but it is the one thing that make me feel the most alive and free. We’re all kids at heart…never forget that.?

3. Capitalize on the Tailwinds in Life. Whether it’s a job opportunity or a mentor who is giving their time to you, don’t just sit on the side of the trail, get on your bike and MOVE…You can almost guarantee, there will be a headwind coming and unfortunately we tend to remember the headwinds more than the tailwinds, so take full advantage of the gentle pushes in life that are helping you towards your goals.?

4. Be a Master of Mind Tricks on Yourself.??This one was HUGE! My partner and I were climbing Cinnamon pass, and I noticed he was able to ride the entire thing, where there were parts in my mind that I thought were unrideable, so I asked him how he did it, and he said, “I just kept telling myself, ‘This is easy. This is easy. This is easy....” There are going to be things that seem impossible or unenjoyable in life, but if you play tricks with yourself and tell yourself, “this is easy, AND I love it.” You’ll be surprised to see what you can accomplish.?

5. Expectation is the killer of Happiness. The first part of the trip, we had multiple GPS tracks that could tell us how many miles we have gone, how much elevation we had left, our average speed, etc. Although I ‘knew’ what was coming, it still ultimately left me frustrated because it was always harder than I anticipated. However, the last leg of the trip, we had to conserve our battery power since we had 7 days without a rest day to charge up. Rather than analyzing the stats of the trail, I was able to fully immerse myself in the experience, whatever it was. I had no expectations, and was able to connect and be in the moment. I learned that freedom comes from growth, not control, and mother nature will always reveal the illusion of control (more goosebump stories on that for another day).

6. Variety is the Spice of Life. When planning my nutrition on the trip, I made the mistake of packing essentially the same breakfast, snacks, and dinner for most days. By the end of the first week, I couldn’t even look at the snacks I brought. Perhaps, this is why we all suffered through COVID-19, the variety of life had become geriatrically routined. Although a hard lesson to learn, it made me realize we’re not machines, we’re humans with dynamic tastes, needs, desires, and rather than trying to fit those into a clean box, you need to feed them with all the variety that life has to offer.?

7. Everything tough in life is “training”...At the halfway point, I realized that all 300 miles were hard earned in sweat, tears, fetal position breakdowns on the side of the trail...but they were all training for what was to come...the 12,000-13,000ft peaks ...so as brutal as it was. I chose it. And I know it was making me stronger for what was to come.?

8. Spend Time with People Who Make You Better. My trip partner and I became friends 7 years ago when he convinced me to buy a mountain bike instead of a road bike, and this is our relationship on the trail in a nutshell:?

Vido: just Do it!

Me: I can’t?

Vido: Do it!?

Me: Fine!

Of course, half the time I fall...but the other half of the time...well, those are the greatest moments of my life that I will never forget....If you have friends or family that push you, support you, and believe in you more than you can for yourself, cherish them and hold onto them. They are your fire and your gold.?

9. Suffer Well. It is not the downhills and fun days that you get to show your true character, it’s the grittiness of the pain, suffering, and miles of hike-a-60lb-bike that your true colors come out. I will say I did NOT suffer well the first 8 days of the trip...I had altitude sickness and was puking off the side of the trail, knee pain, hip pain, hangry, oh and heat exhaustion...no big...Rather than taking it with stride, I took it out on Vido and didn’t “suffer well.” I’m a work in progress, and sometimes conditions take the best of you, but next time I will strive to be a person who “suffers well” and take on challenges with grace...??

10. BRAKE LESS IN LIFE. (it will only make your hands hurt). Riding my bike with an additional 40+lbs of gear attached to the handlebar and seat post has felt like a bucking bronco that I had to learn how to tame and manage. Trails that would normally be simple have magically gotten to be complex just trying to steer and stay on the bike. It took some time to adjust, but the more I let go and flow and connect with the bike without fear, the less pain I felt. So, as always, with anything in life, Send it full-heartedly ??????

11. Always Make Trail Friends. It's so easy to be closed off to strangers, but meeting people along the way was one of the most rewarding and uplifting parts of the entire journey. Maybe I was in the backcountry too long, but when I would see people I would aggressively have the attitude "be my friend!" Many of those we encountered offered us food, water, and/or shelter. Allowing yourself to be taken care of by strangers is humbling and beautiful. Lean into it. You'll ride away feeling like you've got an extended family around the globe. When you see someone next, maybe instead of the "stranger danger" mantra we've been taught, try on the "be my friend!" mantra, and just see where it takes you in life...

That's all I have for trail thoughts for now...I'm excited to be back and bring the Passion!

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/6N3rffae1lk

Link to Stats: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17sbbVoXG4sad6JkDJz3Ecyf6zVbSp4YW5wa7hjjT4Nk/edit?usp=sharing&fbclid=IwAR32SsC34qjpD2sdpoPiyiFFTCF7HQkbYZuemI9gt1OkNgDVL4m-xNwPQg4