100 Pedals

Recovery for Parents Dealing with Addiction in their Families

## Transformational Change

August 29, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

While we often can’t anticipate, predict, or see the change that’s coming our way, we have the ability to embrace it as an opportunity to transform our current situation for the positive.

Whether we plan for it or not, change happens. There are many times when we least expect it, are not prepared for it, or devastated by its news – change hits us. Fortunately, there are other times when we create and embrace change. Those are the times when it is relatively easy to engage in the potential of the event. However, for those who have experienced untimely, unsettling, or disturbing change, discovering or celebrating an opportunity in it is hard.

I recently had a very profound and insightful conversation with a dear friend. This friend was going through a very challenging time personally and professionally. Currently, their business was in ruins, their house in foreclosure, they had no job prospects, and they were rapidly running out of the retirement funds that were sustaining their day-to-day needs. They were not sure what they were going to do. They knew they were going to likely move and probably leave the area they were in to pursue prospects in a different region where the opportunities, though much less desirable, were more plentiful. It was not the scenario they envisioned when they moved to the region years earlier.

Then, something happened that changed everything – their aging mother became quite ill. As the child who always pulled things together for their family, my friend went back home to care for Mom and help Dad do those things he was determined, thought incapable, to do. After three months back home caring for and supporting two elderly parents, my friend came to the reality that they may have to move back home permanently.

When I was hearing this story, I couldn’t help but be moved by the force of change and the opportunity change can offer us. Here was a situation where change was the answer. It was what my friend knew what was going to happen eventually – the move out of the area – yet, had avoided at all costs because they were determined to resist the obvious change. Despite the obvious opportunities to finally have a purpose and a calling, they are still struggling to embrace the unique, temporary opportunity this unfortunate event offers them.

There are times we know change is necessary; but, we plow forward resisting the obvious hoping for some other outcome. Then, out of the blue, change is thrust upon us and we are forcibly moved out of our spot. No matter how disruptive, disturbing, untimely, and painful the change we experience – it is likely the gift that we needed to transform something that unsettled in our lives. While my change adverse friend hasn’t seen or had an opportunity to celebrate or realize the true gift change has given, I am confident every one of you can see the ironic opportunity this change has created.

As you cope with and face those challenges that threaten your peace every day, remember change is the opportunity for the transformation in your life you likely needed.

Filed Under: Learning From Experience, Living Your Purpose, Seizing Opportunity, Uncategorized

## Making a Difference

August 22, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“The character of our being — who we are — enables us to offer our gifts to others in a manner that supports, strengthens, and inspires them to be great in their own right.”

In the midst of the furor of the recent debt debacle and the extended election season, we have experienced a near overload of quotes and sound bytes. One thing that strikes me most about these quotes is the tendency to point to someone else and say they are wrong and it is their fault. As an empowered individual, I am fully and completely accountable to myself for what I believe and stand for. While not totally happy with all that is going on in our political or economic world these days, I am accountable for what I believe, for what I stand for, and my role in contributing to the solution, not simply pointing to the problem.

My accountability as a leader, as a person, and as a member of the human race is to help others discover the solutions to their challenges, to help them remove the obstacles to their success, and empower them to leverage their unique gifts to realize their dreams. I do not have to be right, I do not need to create excuses, and I do not need to knock others down on my journey to success — for I am accountable to everyone for helping, supporting, guiding, and teaching others as we work through our individual issues and challenges.

When look at the messages of today’s leaders in contrast to that of the thoughts of Martin Luther King, Jr. we have a lot to learn. Dr. King passionately and fervently preached and advocated change and fought for the civil rights of the entire human race. His message was one of love, patience, and unity. He didn’t declare war on racists, he didn’t blame the government for the current state of affairs, and he didn’t exclude anyone from his speeches when he shared his vision. As a committed change agent Dr. King leveraged his character to inspire, lead, and stand up to the injustice of racism and discrimination.

What is your character? What do you stand for? What are you doing to use your gifts to unite, guide, and inspire?

Our accountability for our existence is not to judge, divide, or blame. Our role as people in this world is to leverage our greatness to help others discover the greatness in themselves. We are not innocent bystanders, we are not free of our accountability to give to everyone who asks for or needs our help, and we cannot blame anyone for our situation in life. We have the ability to make a difference, one person, one neighborhood, one organization at a time. The challenge is discovering the character that exists within us to do that. And we are responsible for leveraging those gifts — for we all have them — to make the world a little better than how we found it.

Filed Under: Giving Love, Inspirational Perspectives, Make A Commitment, Uncategorized

## Learning from Eldrick

August 15, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“We are not invincible nor do we need to pretend to be. It is through humility and grace that we discover and utilize our gifts.” ~ Dave Cooke

Wonder how many people would even recognize him by his given name of Eldrick. Most know him as Tiger. Whether you are a golf fan or not, it would be pretty hard not to be aware of the incredible rise and fall associated with his career. While many may enjoy his failings or want to spend time judging him for his personal and professional decisions – I don’t have the time or the right to judge anyone (that’s for a different post) – there are a ton of life lessons for us in the Tiger Story.

One of the things I most admired about Tiger was his single-minded determination and focus. He could get into a zone and through sheer athleticism and will define a desired outcome. When you listen to and learn more about the Tiger story, he was wired that way. His Father ingrained into him very, very early in life greatness is about never being vulnerable – Tiger came to believe and lived most of his life, to date, as though he was invincible. It was because of his notion of invincibility; he was able to play the way he did.

Unfortunately for Tiger, as with most of us, the structure around which he built his life changed dramatically -his Father passed away, he destroyed his marriage, and his once incredible and promising career is crumbling around him. Through it all, he is still searching for that lost magic that made him invincible. In Tiger’s mind, in order to be “Tiger” again, he needs to rediscover that total control and power of his younger self.

In reality, he has not discovered the humility necessary to for him to rebuild, regroup and change his life. While he has shed advisors, coaches, sponsors, and friends in order to regain his magic, he has not embraced the lessons existing in the changes around him. Rather than reach for the secret magic of the past, he needs to rebuild from the experiences and the lessons of his present life. And, he needs to be more receptive to reflections of those lessons. His struggle can be and is an example for us all.

When we were younger, we all thought, to some extent, that we were invincible. We made not have consciously thought about our invincibility, but we certainly behaved, to a greater or lesser extent with a reckless abandon at times. It was as we became older and more conscious of the impacts of our decisions and our behaviors on our life. With that awareness grew intelligence, perspective and a stronger sense of boundaries and structure. In these learning experiences, we struggled, we succeeded, we failed, we hurt, we celebrated, and we grew. Over time, we became connected to those things that energized us.

For many of us, life has taken us on paths, journeys, and experiences that may have disconnected us from our passion and energy. As we struggle to rediscover the joy and the energy and the passion that provided us with our youthful exuberance, we also struggle with being open about our pain in this process. It is our openness, our honesty, and our humility with ourselves and others that will help us rediscover and reconnect with that missing energy.

We do not need to fake it until we make it. We do not need to be strong, tall, powerful, and willful in order to reach our destination. What we need is the grace and power of our honest humility to make us receptive to the messages, the advice, and the perspectives of others to put us on the path that we desire to travel. We have never been wired to be invincible. It was the awareness of our vulnerabilities that brought us wisdom in the first place. Leverage that wisdom today to change your world and celebrate the accomplishment of our dreams.

Filed Under: Learning From Experience, Living Your Purpose, Seizing Opportunity, Uncategorized

## Word Power

August 8, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

Words have the power to influence, inspire, and inform; they also can destroy, defame, and deflate. Choose them carefully.

We all respond favorably to words that excite and engage us. We also feel the hurt or pain of words hurled in anger or frustration. Yet, many of are not aware of the impact of our words on others.

There is a significant difference between what one says and what someone else’s hears. Though many people are often unaware of the impact of our words on others, we need to be more attune to the influences of what we say.

Whether we like it or not, we are responsible for our messages to others. It is not the recipient’s responsibility to understand what we said; it is our responsibility to make certain our words are understood.

I had a very interesting conversation with a woman the other day who was frustrated with a friend who misinterpreted what she had said. When I asked her to repeat what she said, I could readily understand the reason the friend got upset. When I explained to my friend what I heard, she defended her position saying, “you know me, I would never say anything like that.” Unfortunately, she had and was not aware of the negative influence of her comments. And, the more I attempted to explain the source of the problem, she continued to defend her personality and not her vocabulary choices.

Words are a very powerful tool. They are also a very intimidating and confrontational weapon. In this day and age where we are often busy, distracted, rushed, frustrated and challenged, the urge to say something and move on may have disastrous consequences. Before saying anything, be mindful of your audience, the message you wish to convey, and the outcome you desire.

The words you choose will have a lasting impact on those people; and, negative ones have a way of lingering longer than we would like. Be mindful of the recipients and how they listen, interpret, and respond to how they are communicated to. Your message is not important for you; your message is important for them. Remember to choose words that will be received appropriately by your audience, not simply understood by you.

We have a great challenge in our society today and that involves the art of communication. The ability to communicate effectively is a significant part of the solution. While communication is listening effectively, the words we choose and the way we use them can draw people in or repel them. Us e words that inspire, influence and inform – you will enjoy the results.

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives, Learning From Experience, Uncategorized

## Leveraging Our Gifts

August 1, 2025 by Dave Cooke Leave a Comment

“It is not recognizing our gifts, but how we use them, that is the true measure of our gratitude.”

Everyone has been blessed with a unique set of gifts and talents. While many of us may not be aware of or confident in these gifts, believe me they exist. Our unique skills and abilities often manifest themselves in different ways and at different times in our lives. Sometimes we simply discover them because we followed a particular passion or purpose that instantly inspired us and we found we were successful at it. For others still struggling to find meaning in their lives, it may take some exploration and thought before they realize their passion and purpose as it relates these gifts. Regardless, we have all been blessed with a unique set of skills and abilities that enables us to engage in certain activities in a very special and powerful manner. And, it puts each of us in a position to leverage these unique abilities to make a difference in both our lives and in the lives of others.

For those who have not discovered or embraced their uniqueness often do so because they are not yet aware of their energy and power. Something that seems incredibly difficult to others comes easy to us, though we don’t see it as all that significant. While others stand in awe of our ability to organize, articulate, compete, lead, or strategize, we just shrug our shoulders wondering what the big deal is. We devalue the little things we accomplish with ease that others spend a lifetime trying to simply do. We don’t recognize our special talents because we underestimate or diminish the real uniqueness and power of it all.

Or, we may not recognize the true source of the energy that we get when we engage in our unique talents. This occurs mainly because we are fixated on accomplishing something else. While our skills provide a means to the end; it is not the brass ring we are chasing. When we do something that provides us success, we can be more fixated on the process of accomplishment and not contribution our skills and our passion played in that success. Hence, we confuse the accomplishment as energizing, not the excitement of using our skills and abilities to its fullest that enabled us to get there. Our skills and abilities get lost or misplaced when we are not fully aware of what energizes us or why.

As you examine your life’s experiences, go back through those experiences and discover when you were happiest and most engaged – what were you doing, what were you feeling and thinking, and what made those experiences the most satisfying. Connect to those activities and accomplishments that brought you the most joy and satisfaction. When you think about who you were in those situations and how you were able to think and feel this way, you will become more connected to those unique skills, abilities and talents that make you who you really are.

Armed with this information and insight you are now more capable of embracing the passion that is you. You can bring gratitude and power to your gifts and begin to discover opportunities to use them in a way that will inspire, guide, and help others; and, along the way bring you to a new level of consciousness and fulfillment in your journey. You are unique and special. You have been wired with a unique and wonderful set of skills that others are looking for. Bring them into play so we can all benefit from and celebrate in them.

Filed Under: Live With Passion, Living Your Purpose, Maintaining Focus, Seizing Opportunity, Uncategorized