Take The Leap

April 23, 2025
10:03 AM

I'm not the greatest at riding a bike, but I know the basics of how to ride. A couple of years ago, when I got the chance to mountain bike, I jumped at the opportunity. I knew it was dangerous, but I figured I would go on the easy trails and work my way up to the harder trails. If I fell, the worst thing that could happen was getting a few scrapes and bruises.

With butterflies in my stomach, I took the lift to the top of the mountain. I found the easiest trail and began to roll down. On the first curve, I noticed my bike going faster than I was comfortable with. I hit both my front and rear brakes, and I went flying forward past my handlebars, taking a nose dive into the dirt.

I came seriously close to breaking both my arms. For the rest of the way down, I held my rear brakes. All I could focus on was making it down the mountain alive without breaking any bones. I lost control of my bike a few more times, getting a few more scrapes, but it wasn't anything serious. At some points, there were a few frustrated teenagers behind me, so I parked my bike on the side of the trail to let them through. However, I made it down alive.

When I reached the bottom, the path led directly to the lift. I had to make a decision to go up and ride again or go home. I wasn't going home after my first try, so I went in line for the lift. Besides, I knew my way down now. While pulling into the line, I saw a guy come down the mountain at full speed, stopping just behind me. It was straight out of a Red Bull commercial. I've never seen anything like it in person.

We ended up sharing a lift. On our way up, he told me he travelled the world to bike down different mountains in different seasons, finding whatever jobs he could find to sustain his lifestyle. Fascinated, I explained I was new and had eaten enough dirt to skip dinner. I asked him for some advice on how to get around those tight bends I was struggling with. He laughed and said, "Don't look in front of you, look where you want to go. Instead of looking at the bend, look where the bend straightens out and trust your bike to follow where you're looking."

I was terrified, but I followed his advice. I was afraid my bike would fly off the ledge at every bend. After all, how was I supposed to ensure my wheels would stay on the track if I couldn't see where my wheels were? However, every time I tried, I made it through smoothly. Slowly, I gained the confidence to pick up my speed, eventually daring to ride down more difficult trails.

Since then, I found progressing toward my goals to be a lot like mountain biking. Anxiety, doubt, and worry can be useful in planning and preparing for the challenges ahead. It can even motivate you to monitor your progress and stay on track. However, sometimes progress requires you to look beyond your current challenges and trust that everything will work out. If you keep your gaze on how the world is for too long, you may lose sight of what it could be.

Sometimes, you won't have any experience to reassure you that your wheels won't slip off the ledge, and what you need won't be metrics but faith; to believe in your vision even when others don't. Creating something truly exceptional requires you first to believe in something others don't and to give it your all as if it were inevitable. If you are struggling with doubt, dare to risk being delusional.

11:52 AM
Chris X