Even though I was jubilant, it took a lot of discussion and thought before Christina and I jumped in. I was reminded of a Texas Hold'em Poker group in which I played some years ago. We played about once every two months for 4 hours with a $50 buy in. You played until you lost all your money or the 4 hours was up. One night I had great cards on the first hand of the night. After a couple of bets, I said the two most exciting words in the game……..'ALL IN' and pushed all my chips toward the pot. One of the players called. I lost and set the rest of the night out, bringing people beers, shuffling the cards and just hangin' out. The loss did not deter me though. In many subsequent games, I went 'ALL IN' with mostly positive outcomes.
Christina and I talked about our commitment and contribution. Finally, we said to ourselves: 'ALL IN'.
Commitment is first and foremost. Those of you who follow my writing, may remember that I see this much differently than most. Most folks wait until they find something they are passionate about before they commit. I commit and then expect the passion to follow……..big difference.
Then it came to what we would contribute. One of my favorite presidents(JFK) once stated, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." Instead of country, one can insert family, organization, friends………I inserted the word, team. The plan:
Preparation - I will put myself in top fitness. I am 65 (race age) and racing mostly in 50+ fields. Everyone must prepare but for me, it is even more important. Train, eat, sleep….do it again.
Show up - Sound stupid? Most people don't actually ever get there. We already had a busy 2014 schedule but I have committed to race some important races. Christina and I also will go to Charlotte to do some team rides later in the summer.
Host team mates - We are excited to host some team mates for SC Race Weekend here in Gville and we fully plan to help create a camp and possibly a big race weekend in Tucson this winter.
Race contribution - This is a strong team………I can not hope to be the lead dog. I want to contribute as a domestique…….close gaps, chase down attacks, run down break aways, do lead outs at the end if I am still there. Sure, I have it in my heart to do some attacking myself, but it will be done for the greater good of the team>>>
Put the team success ahead of my personal success - The SC RR is an example. If I were riding for myself, I might get a top 10 in a field of 50-60 guys. My goal this year is to win………that is somebody on our team will win. If we reach my goal, I personally will probably be 35th or 42nd!
Be aggressive - In business, I felt I was a game changer. In bike racing, there are race takers and race makers. I am a race maker. The race happens at the front of the peleton, not the back. If you want to see me, there are two places to look…….in the front few riders or 'off the back'. I will be up there making a race, making it hard. When I can't, so long. I am not a guy with a racing goal to set in and finish 22nd in the field sprint.
We are going to the 'line' here in Gville on June 7/8 for SC State RR Weekend….a RR and a crit. We will follow the SC weekend with the NC RR in Fayetteville, NC. Look for 'Big Blue' (my nickname for Modry as our kits are blue) to put up tremendous efforts in these races.
Commitment and contribution bring great joy and success whether in sports, business or relationships……..What are your key commitments? How are you contributing? Are you 'ALL IN'?……..if not, why are you holding back?
See ya out there.
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