How do you go from 0 to (seemingly) Middle-Aged SuperHero, from never having driven a motorcycle to contemplating a 2000 mile cross country trip on the Triumph Tiger 800xc waiting for you in Carefree, Arizona, with just 4 months effort, only 3 of which were spent putting riding experience under your backside??
By taking each and every itti bitti baby step, one after another, incrementally, methodically, practicing each until achieving mastery before moving on to the next step!! It’s a simple formula for blisteringly fast skill acquisition, for spiraling upwards, alternately from competence to confidence to even great competence and confidence.
Below you can see how tiny the steps often are, but also how quickly they aggregate into something significant. Know that each item on the list was, in and of itself, a stretch for me at the time and that I was only willing to tackle one item at a time – like, literally, I’d have to ask myself, “Can you make the phone call to ask about the motorcycle class? Yes, I can do that. Phew. Ok, I did that. Now, can I drive over to sign up for the class? Yes. Can I walk in and hand them a check? Yes, I can do that.” On and on this dialog continued.
You also get from Here to There by celebrating each and every milestone, large and small that you take. You acknowledge to yourself that you took that next step – win, lose, or draw, you give yourself a nod of support and encouragement for tackling the next item and the next.
I have to admit that on top of learning something new, I also have to grapple with a fair amount of social anxiety. I have to do work-arounds in my normal life on a regular, daily basis to manage its debilitating effects. I’ve included many of these types of things I’ve also had to tackle in parallel to the riding experience itself. It’s been surprising and exciting to me to discover that this incremental approach to learning also helps me manage that anxiety. What I’m finding is that the further I go, the more the anxiety lessens, and the more my confidence grows.
Experience builds, one challenge after another, be it unexpected road work, a kooky intersection, getting yourself stuck down a dead-end road, or dumping your bike on a vertical curve.
When I look at the list of steps I’ve taken to get where I’ve gotten so quickly, it looks enormous. The thing about it… it was very doable – each step or set of steps flowing into the next, almost effortlessly, with very little discomfort. It all added up so blisteringly fast that I didn’t even notice how many new things I’d tackled until I’d written down the list….
| Stretch |
| 9/2/18
Challenging an old idea, that riding a motorcycle is dangerous and that we had decided to set the notion aside permanently Getting back on a bike for the first time in 25 years, just as a passenger Sitting and leaning correctly so that I didn’t overcorrect the driver Paying attention to sitting still, so as to not interfere with the driver’s driving |
| 9/11/18
Poking around on the internet to find what motorcycle safety classes were available in the area Making a phone call to inquire about the basic motorcycle safety course at Chattanooga State College Driving over to Chatt State Walking in, talking to the person in charge, and signing up for the course |
| 9/23/18
Pulling out the course book and working my way through the material, filling out the answers to the questions. I hadn’t formally studied any subject much since grad school, decades ago, so this was a challenge. |
| 9/28/18
Taking the leap of accepting the encouragement and belief in me that a friend gave, in the form of a note in a card |
| 9/29/18
Day 1 of motorcycle class: Getting the correct clothing and gear assembled Moving myself out of the door of the house Driving over to the class Finding where to park Figuring out where the classroom was Walking into the classroom (strangers!! Omg! Lol) Finding the parking lot where the practical portion of the class was being held WORKING THROUGH EVERY SINGLE STEP ALONG THE WAY FOR EACH AND EVERY PRACTICAL RIDING LESSON!!!! Too many to even name!! |
| 9/30/18
Day 2 of motorcycle class: Everything from Day 1, all over again!! Plus, suffering the humiliation of failing the practical test, and having the courage to step up to the plate and swing for the fences again – it was the only thing to focus on, was that one step, retake the test! Facing the class as they looked sad for me being the only person to fail CELEBRATION: I passed the motorcycle safety riding course!! |
| 10/2/18
Getting my material organized to go over and get my new driver’s license for a motorcycle Dealing with my anxiety of going into the DMV myself |
| 10/4/18
CELEBRATION: The hubby found my new bike!! I figure this must mean I’m ready for, and wanting to take the next step on this adventure |
| 10/11/18
Asking for favors, for help. I had to ask friends in Ohio for help getting my new bike, Vivie, from Ohio to Tennessee for me. I’m not comfortable asking for help. Interestingly enough, the momentum I had built to this point had me anxious to continue, which helped me over this hurdle. |
| 10/12/18
Using some ingenuity, creativity, to figure out how to take the next step without blowing out my comfort zone. Asking David to ride Viv over to the motorcycle course parking lot for me, so I could scoot around somewhere where I was already comfortable Dealing with the challenge of cars being parked in the lot that hadn’t been there during class. Transferring over what I had already learned to a new bike |
| 10/12/18
Going into an unfamiliar place, the bike shop, easing my anxiety by hiding behind David, until I got comfortable. |
| 10/12/18
Taking my first ride out on the street, in my neighborhood Stopping and starting at stop signs Going around speed bumps Starting from a stop, mid-hill Remembering to use my turn signal Trying out 3rd gear for the first time ever |
| 10/13/18
Figuring out a place to ride outside of my neighborhood where I would feel safe Figuring out how to get the bike to where I wanted to ride (David to the rescue) Asking David to play buffer to me and other cars by riding behind me in my truck up and down the road Making multiple passes in my new playground Crossing over a busy intersection |
| 10/14/18
Plotting out my course for my first solo ride Rehearsing, mentally, the route and it’s challenges Riding through a small town with stop lights and crazy turning roads Taking that first solo ride |
| 10/15/18
Stretching myself out to a longer distance Traveling through town on a busier week day Starting out from a steep slope Navigating a section of road work |
| 10/17/18
Getting my own gas Figuring out how to conceal carry on a bike Attending to the additional input of listening to music while riding Using my helmet lock on the bike for the first time Stretching myself to an even longer distance of 5 extra miles Adding in an extra activity in the middle of my ride, a 4 mile hike |
| 10/18/18
Aggressively leaning into curves more Up- and down-shifting more often Doing time in the saddle |
| 10/20/18
Grilling people with more experience on distinctions that I needed to make |
| 10/21/18
Riding across a sizeable city with all it’s traffic, lights, over a windy bridge Parking in a busy parking lot Riding with other people, figuring out how to communicate Leading my group to a location I know well Riding up through multiple, tight switchbacks Parking in a gravel parking lot Going someplace public in my full gear, lol, ugh Riding for a full and complex kind of day |
| 10/30/18
Riding on a 6 lane road Waving to other riders while riding Riding 65 miles pushing my mileage out another increment Riding a new route Riding the tail end of the ride back through town during rush hour |
| 11/4/18
Riding two longer days in a row Nailing down preparation routines Plotting out new routes that only stretch, not blow out the comfort zone, places I am familiar with by car, to lessen the stress of too much newness Hiking a harder route in between coming and going rides |
| 1/6/19
Having the extra mental capacity to now add in running errands, going to vote, on my bike, organizing myself to take care of some business before riding somewhere to do it Figuring out what to do about my helmet when I ride to do errands |
| 11/7/19
Learning about a particular feature of my bike, tires, figuring out how to know what size tires to order, and sorting out how I was going to get them put on the bike Asking for more help Going into a shop where I was getting work done – more of that social anxiety and the stress of not knowing much about anything |
| 11/7/19
Trying out a new route Dropping Vivie on a switchback – my first experience of dumping my bike Picking her back up, on a hill Underestimating the bite I bit off – those moments are chalked full of experience, too – learning from my mistakes Problem solving under duress Starting out from a dead stop on a reallllllly steep slope |
| 11/11/18
Braving the coldest temperatures I’d ridden in to date Assessing when conditions have become unsafe and the wisdom to shortcut my plans as a result Shopping for a heated jacket meant learning new things about heated clothing layers Correcting, consciously, for limitations I perceive along my learning trajectory |
| 11/14/18
Adding saddlebags to my bike, taking me one more step in the direction of being able to take an overnight trip on Viv |
| 11/18/18
Doubling my distance ridden, from 65 to 115 miles Traveling on roads I know by car but that were a first for me on a bike Riding through a different city Navigating to a friend’s house for the first time, after a long day Riding on a busy road after dark for the first time |
| 11/19/18
Testing out my riding speed and time over a previously tested distance Testing my ability to ride to South Carolina for Thanksgiving Recognizing when the next stretch is too big of a stretch Taking a long ride the next day after my longest ride Riding to the Gear Cycle shop, on the spur of the moment, to pick up my heated jacket after a long couple of days |
| 11/28/18
Dialing-in my equipment for colder riding weather Riding in cold conditions Tucking the use of a heated jacket into my gearing-up-to-ride routine Figuring out how to use my Sena headset to do various things (eg take a phone call, hear my GPS directions, listen to music through Bluetooth) |
| 12/6/18
CELEBRATION: Enjoying my newfound comfort with riding after just 2 months |
| 12/7/18
Dreaming of road trips – everything you do starts with a vision of something new, and is an important step to actually achieving new goals. It’s the first step in sneaking up a New You!! |
| 12/9/18
Reaching out to people I trust for support – I typically try to go everything alone, and now I’m learning to get the support I need, from trusted friends and family Stretching, mentally, what is possible for myself, just thinking it through is often a step towards stretching my comfort zone – it’s not always taking physical action, often it’s getting thoroughly comfortable with the idea, visualizing what it will look and feel like, that allows me to take the next step out into the larger world. |
| 12/11/18
Dealing with the feeling of being stalled out on my progression |
| 12/12/18
Borrowing the confidence that comes from familiarity, even it if it comes from someone else’s experience on a TV show – just the exposure allows me to be comfortably uncomfortable with zero risk to myself |
| 12/13/18
Encouraging David to taking up motorcycling again Supporting him in his purchase of a bigger bike, a 2014 Triumph Tiger 800, for me to practice on, to take my skills up to the next level |
| 12/14/18
Immersing myself in the thought of taking a longer-distanced, overnight trip on Vivie-Girl Problem solving to reduce or eliminate stressors Nailing down any new aspects that I can, in this case packing light, in order to feel more confident, to then continue forward, building new competencies |
| 12/14/18
Tweaking my packing list after having lived off of its contents for a few days, refining the list Restructuring my packing list to make it more user- (as in, me!!) friendly, according to the way I actually use the items I take with me |
| 12/14/18
CELEBRATION: Making my packing list public, for others to tweak for themselves |
| 12/15/18
Packing myself and my bike up, for real, not just for practice Revising plans for lunch on the fly Parking in a sloped gravel lot, creatively using a piece of wood I found to put under the kickstand to keep the bike upright Going into a coffee shop in my whole regalia – I don’t like to stand out too much, and this makes me terribly uncomfortable Finding a place to pull off when I couldn’t tolerate sitting on the bike another minute Stopping in a restaurant for a late lunch, trotting in in all of my riding gear, then eating alone! Ugh Riding through the rain, with limited visibility for over an hour Checking my lonesome self into my AirBnB, all by myself CELEBRATION: I’d ridden out for my first overnight bike trip!! |
| 12/16/18
Riding through and unfamiliar part of Georgia Finding a brand-new waterfall Riding to the next town to meet friends for dinner, again, all dressed in my motorcycle getup, but into a super busy restaurant this time Riding an hour back on a very dark, moonless, intermittently sprinkling night |
| 12/17/18
Working through a concern about my bike from having dropped it in the driveway, before I headed back home Deciding to add my own side adventure to my trip, to the highest point in Georgia, and then following through on that plan Taking the long ride home after a long two-night first overnighter trip by myself Getting super comfortable stopping at places all by myself, like the Peruvian place for empanadas on the way home Adding on a little side trip up to my favorite ridge above Chatt, even after such a long trip Riding in Tennessee in mid-December! |
| 12/18/18
Taking care of a few new maintenance items on Vivie before I put her up for the winter |
| 12/20/18
Sneaking up on the idea of riding a bigger bike by sitting on the Triumph Tiger 800 David had picked up Letting the idea sink in – again, this is a vital step to taking future steps, just breathing your way through the fear of the next batch of stretch goals to come |
| 12/21/18
Experiencing the vulnerability of sharing my experience in motorcycle riding, clarifying to myself how all the baby-steps I’d set out and had taken had added up to my current level of riding and comfort. |
| 12/22/18
Starting allllll over again, at what felt like the bottom rung of the learning ladder Repeating everything I’d learned on Vivie, all over again on a bigger bike, Evvie Riding in Ohio!! In mid-December!! |
| 1/6/19
Riding for 5 hours on the bigger bike Wandering aimlessly about the unfamiliar countryside Problem solving my way out of downhill dead end CELEBRATION: being comfortable to ride the 800 for 5 hours all by myself after having messed around on her on only one other day and taking a very short ride |
| 1/9/19
Riding in very windy conditions Riding in Ohio!! In early-January!! |
| 1/11/19
Taking the next steps figure out how to get my own bike, another Triumph Tiger 800 Dreaming of riding her from Carefree, Arizona, to Oxford, Ohio |
Smarter-Not-Harder U 