Going Through Obstacles

June 29, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“We all have different barriers, different obstacles that we have to go through.” ~ Anthony Robles

I am a person who listens closely to the words people use and the words people choose when communicating. In many cases, I take these words very literally. This quote is example of my approach.

“We all have different barriers that we have to go through.” These are not things we have to deal with or respond to. These are barriers that we have to “go through.” There are things that we deal with in our lives on a regular basis and we do “go through” these experiences. However, in this case he is referencing going through barriers, where these barriers are an obstacle, not an experience. When faced with an obstacle, we have two choices, go through it or try to go around it. In this situation, Robles is encouraging us to recognize that we go through our obstacles and our barriers.

Over lunch with a friend, we were talking about life’s experiences. We both concluded that there really is no moment in life where we aren’t dealing with something. Some of the issues we are dealing with are monsters, game changers; while others are just life’s little challenges that keep us sharp and on our toes. Keeping things in perspective keeps us balanced and provides the ability to focus on the critical issues when they arise because we know the difference. Not everything is a big deal, not problem is a crisis, and not every issue is a game changing, life altering challenge. Knowing and recognizing the ones that are, will enable you to focus on them with the right level of energy to go through the barrier. When we view everything as a barrier, we start banging our heads on the wall because we don’t know the difference and waste valuable time and energy on insignificant chatter.

Keep everything in perspective. You will have challenges and issues. There will be clearcut barriers and obstacles that you need to deal with. The first task is to recognize and understand the difference between and obstacle and a speedbump. The next task is to relax and realize this is not something that has occurred to prevent you from getting where you intend to be. Rather, this is an opportunity to discover a path through the obstacle that will make you smarter, stronger, and more confident with each subsequent challenge. Finally, trust and believe in your ability to discover a way through this obstacle. Doubt is a great momentum killer. In order to be stronger than the barrier, your belief in yourself — your mission, passion, purpose, and unique abilities—has to be fundamentally solid. We all go through different barriers and obstacles every day – the key to getting through them is based on our focus, our commitment, and our confidence. Go ahead, bust through the next barrier and enjoy the experience!

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives, Maintaining Focus, Make A Commitment, Seizing Opportunity, Uncategorized

What I learned…

June 27, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Breakthrough moments occur when we realize we are both our own obstacle and our own inspiration. We simply have to choose to stand in front of the wall or go through it.

I learned a great deal this past week.

I learned that Brandon is still struggling with his issues despite his best attempts to convince everyone, including himself, otherwise.

I learned that despite these setbacks and the incredible disappointment associated with them, that I am in incredible emotional and mental shape – thank you 100 Pedals.

I learned that my children love me, have special experiences that they cherish, and are helping me as I go through my journey.

I learned that I am blessed with the gifts and love of friends and fans who enjoy my stories, nurture my ideas, and are here to support me in and help me realize my dreams.

I learned that every day is an opportunity to be awesome. Every day I accomplished something that supported my passion and my purpose in life.

I learned that I can try new things and go back to places I have avoided for years. It is nice to know you are always welcome.

I learned that there are more opportunities in my life and for my life than I realize.

I learned that when I trust that everything will work out, when I push myself to keep exploring, and when I open my eyes and ears to messages, requests, and stories in front of me that my world is awesome.

I learned that pain is everywhere and I am the cure for someone’s frustrations and challenges just like someone has been placed here to work through mine.

I learned that we all have an opportunity to be awesome, happy, fulfilled and inspired; we simply need to believe and embrace it first.

I learned that next week will be different than the last; yet, the opportunities to be engaged, loved, frustrated, tested, awesome, empowered, and supportive will keep coming.

Bring it on!! Have a great week!!

Filed Under: Celebrating Accomplishment, Inspirational Perspectives, Learning From Experience, Live With Passion, Living Your Purpose, Seizing Opportunity, Uncategorized

Start by Believing in Yourself

June 24, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Find someone to believe in – start with yourself!

This is the end of a pretty interesting week. It certainly started off with a great Father’s Day. I enjoyed the conversations and the notes I received from my children and celebrated it in a different spirit. Hearing and reading that my adult children share their appreciation for the love, the lessons, and the bonding moments that we have experienced was awesome. While they may have said these things before, Sunday was the first time I heard it, internalized it, and celebrated it.

From there, the rest of the week went to hell. Most of the week’s events do not really directly involve me; but, they impact me and disappoint me. It was certainly hard to feel accomplishment and joy when there is an unhappy and distressing activity around me.

Of course, I am not the only one dealing with and experiencing these types of life challenges. The roller coaster ride of life can and does show up. It can be distracting, it can be disappointing, and it can be disruptive; but, it cannot be derailing. For all that I have gone through and for what I am currently managing, the one thing I have received from 100 Pedals is the mental and emotional conditioning to stay focused on my mission in life.

I have a lot of things I wish for and hope for. The most important is for my children to be healthy, happy and engaged in those things that inspire and energize them and enable them to live their passion. I believe in their abilities, their dreams, their potential, and in their unique selves. I believe in their ability to accomplish whatever they desire. And, for the most part, they are on their way — except for maybe one of them. As I sit here writing this, I feel the pain, the anguish, the disappointment and the failures in the hopes and dreams of the one, for I, like so many parents, want so much for them in their lives. Despite all my hopes and beliefs, there is still loss and pain, if for only one of my children.

In the end, everything I want for, offer to, and can give my children starts with the power of my belief in myself. I cannot show them the path of joy, happiness, accomplishment, potential, success, or love without a steadfast belief in myself first. They may not find their path the way I hoped or envisioned. They may not take the easiest, most direct, or seemingly more efficient path on their journey. Their journey is not a reflection of me as a parent or a condition of my love and admiration for them. Their journey is theirs; however, the guidance and strength they need is found in the love and beliefs of their parents.

What they need, is the strength of a Father standing beside them with a strong belief in self and an even stronger belief in them. They need an example of what it means to believe in yourself when all looks lost. For then, they know what it looks like to persevere, stand strong, stay moving, and get things done — even when things were not going according to plan. A father’s love may be all I have – but I believe in my ability to make that love worth a lot to them as a source of strength and inspiration, even when things aren’t all that easy.

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives, Maintaining Focus, Make A Commitment, Uncategorized

The Art of Deception

June 22, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Even though you may deceive others, you are only deceiving yourself. The revelation of truth is when your character is defined.

There is an old saying, “You can run, but you can’t hide.” Eventually, most of our hidden secrets and truths get revealed. Depending upon the scale of the act and the intensity of the deception, uncovering the truth has its defining moments. Regardless, we all have to come clean eventually. It is in the honesty and sincerity of the moment that defines our character and our integrity.

I have always been a believer in unbridled truth. When confronted with actions or behaviors that would have been construed as bad acts, I would simply acknowledge my role and my accountability for them and move on. I could not be bothered with the details of fault, blame, cover-up or creative accounting for the act. I did it, it was wrong and stupid; punish me, move on.

Call this one of my wilder, more transparent posts. I am venting or, as a friend said yesterday, I am “sublimating.” I am attempting to transfer my frustration about one thing into a creative expression about something else; and, probably doing it poorly.

My source of frustration is founded in the series of events that landed Brandon in a place, not of his choosing and where he is not free to leave or have visitors. Despite the best of intentions, efforts, and role playing, Brandon couldn’t keep his life in order and is, in many cases, back to square one. The level to which he has deceived all of us, including his closest of knowledgeable, aware friends, is amazing and disappointing. And, to believe that I was convinced that there were many good things going on. But, like my thought for the day, you can only pretend so long until reality shows up and calls you out. Then, your true character is called into play.

Anyone busted for their deception, a bad act, or a covert act, has the opportunity to start to move forward from it by at least being honest about their deed. While I will never make Bernie Madoff a role model for much, his flat out willingness to say, “I swindled everyone,” is at the least a refreshing bit of honesty. He took his medicine and went off to jail. Even he had enough character to own up for his misdeeds.

I have no idea what will define the situation for Brandon or his eventual response to it. I do know that my disappointment for him in his very focused and committed deception is as high as it can be. I can only hope and pray that he will finally discover humility and grace in his failings and define his future with an honest and focused account of all he has done and all that he needs to do to move forward from here.

Hide nothing from anyone. Honesty works best when it is applied consistently and openly. Eventually the truth will come out – it always does.

Filed Under: Embrace Responsibility, Uncategorized

The Calm Mind

June 20, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“The calm mind allows one to connect with the inner self, the Soul, the very source of our being. That’s where the music lives.” ~ Clarence Clemons

I was particularly saddened by the passing of saxophonist Clarence Clemons this weekend. He was a big man on stage with Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band; and, he was an ever bigger presence when he cranked up out his powerful, soulful, and melodious solos. Whenever I had an opportunity to catch a clip of Clarence cranking out a solo, I was in – absorbing his immense sound. He also brought a lot of energy and joy to the stage with him and was his total presence that will be missed by the band and their fans. This post is dedicated to Clarence.

In these turbulent, unsettling, and rapidly changing times, many of us are struggling to find a safe haven, to find peace, and to find ourselves. It seems as if one challenge immediately follows another one and then another; and, it becomes increasingly difficult to escape what feels like negative energy all around us. Simply saying that we are not going to pay attention to this negativity does not mean we are not exposed to it or still don’t hear it. It merely means that we are cognizant of its potential to derail us and deflect us from staying on our path and the promise of our journey.

Today’s quote particularly resonated with me in the sense that our source for peace and security lies within us. What goes on around us has the ability to affect and influence us; however, what exists within us defines who we are and how we utilize it. Reaching inside of ourselves and leveraging the energy, the power, and the unique skills that make us who we is also what makes us great in any situation. For who we are is defined by our gifts and our effectiveness in utilizing them; not by what goes on around us.

Being calm when all around you is chaotic comes from the inner strength and confidence of knowing who you are and what your passion and purpose in life is. I have found intense strength in my mantra, “This is not the trip I have signed up for; but, it is the journey that is designed for me…” This saying gives me the calmness to engage in a situation where I am open, receptive, and willing to learn from the experience before me. I have discovered that while I cannot change all is going around me, and to me, I can find the strength to embrace the opportunities being presented in the form of chaos and learn from them so I can share them with others.

It is the ability to find calm in the storm that enables me to relax enough to explore, discover and internalize the experience and from there, I am able to learn and grow and find opportunities to be successful along the way.

Life will always provide us with challenges. Sometimes there will be more than we desire or believe we can handle. The challenge is to leverage the power of our unique gifts—the music that lies within us—to be a source of inspiration and peace that enables us to embrace the moment and grow.

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives, Live With Passion, Living Your Purpose, Uncategorized

Success Is Not An Accident

June 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“Success is not an accident—it is the intentional and consistent application of behaviors that result in positive outcomes.”

For the first time since I wrote them, I was reviewing all the 100 Pedals posts that I wrote during the one hundred consecutive rides commitment. As I shared with some, I had an interesting routine regarding my posts during that time. My routine was to go on my ride, come back to the house, write and submit the post without reviewing it, and move on. I have not read any of these posts until now. It has been an interesting reflection.

This particular quote was contained in one of my posts. Interestingly, it is one of the most consistent recurring themes during the 100 Pedals journey. In one of my business blogs, Sustainable Revenues, I talk about the fact that success happens by design, not accident. While many people talk about the influence of luck, I am not much of a believer in luck unless you are gambling or playing the lottery. Even then, when it comes to the gambling, even then luck has its limits.

Success comes to those who diligently and intently focus on exactly what they want to accomplish and consistently engage in the appropriate and necessary behaviors to get there. This is how one is successful. We are not successful when we get distracted, lost, or are inconsistent to those activities, behaviors and goals.

The reason some people seem to be lucky is the appearance of a big break by meeting someone, being in the right place at the right time, etc. That is not luck, that is a result of consistent presence to who they are, where they are going and what they need to be doing at all times. Then, when the moment presents itself to make something happen, they are already engaged in their activities toward success and they project their passion, skills, and abilities as it relates to it. Luck comes to those are already prepared for a moment and does not come to those who have not recognized or been prepared for or working diligently on their mission.

Success is not about good timing, luck, or a special break. Success is about a focused commitment to who we are, where we are going, and an awareness of what it takes to get there on a consistent basis. Besides my increased awareness of the power of faith, the one thing that I learned from my 100 Pedals is that you can and will realize your dreams and accomplish your goals when you know what you want to accomplish, why it is so important to your passion and your purpose, and when you take a measurable action every single day to make sure you reach your goal. It is your focus that will get you there. That focus is the result of a consistent and daily effort to keep moving in the right direction with clarity and purpose.

Filed Under: Live With Passion, Living Your Purpose, Maintaining Focus, Make A Commitment, Uncategorized

The Road to Success

June 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“The road to success is a combination of brilliance and illumination mixed in with determination & will.”

There are a great many people that I admire for their accomplishments and their successes. I am often amazed and impressed at not only what they did, but how they did it and the manner in which they seemingly simply just got busy. It is as if they really didn’t have to over think the idea, they merely found some sense of clarity and purpose and merely took action.

When you think about it, an idea and action are all it takes to get started on just about anything. We don’t need permission to explore an idea. We don’t need someone’s approval to give it some thought and take that idea out for a ride. We merely need to willingness to think about it enough to act on it. That is the first foundation of success—an idea and action.

The second foundation of success is not allowing obstacles to prevent us from pursuing this idea further. With every failure or setback comes an opportunity to learn, explore and try again. What started out as an idea has blossomed into an opportunity and a belief that something is possible. Now, all that is needed to explore the possibilities to their farthest point is the will and determination to get there or solve the puzzle or answer the question.

Everyone has great ideas. Some may have more than others. There are some, whose ideas are simply way ahead of their time. But, every idea, thought, concept, or opportunity that presents itself in our head has the potential to be explored and developed. When you think about it, some of the most successful inventions or business models were simple and obvious to all of us once we thought about it.

Success is not defined by or reserved for the wealthy, the inventors, or the geniuses. Success is realized by those who had enough presence to their thought, idea, or mission to take action on it. And, despite the struggles, failures, or criticism received, they found the will and the determination to march on because they believed in the potential for its outcome.

We all have great ideas; some just take them all the way to finish line. Those people are the incredibly successful ones we all admire. What is your next great idea? What will you do with it?

Filed Under: Focusing On Your Vision, Learning From Experience, Seizing Opportunity, Uncategorized

Momentum is a Powerful Resource

June 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Momentum is a powerful resource. With it, you can go very far, very fast; losing it requires a huge effort to get it back.

As I have been reviewing my notes and blogs on the 100 Pedals journey, one of the recurring themes that I touch on is staying focused and celebrating an accomplishment every single day. The reason I was successful, not only to the commitment, but in making significant transitions in my life during those 100 days, is that I never lost focus and I never lost my momentum.

Every single day I rode the bike, made and shared the notes of my thoughts and experiences, and captured the excitement and energy of the experience of the journey. I never lost progress. I never started over. And, I was conscious of the fact that I had a lot of momentum working in my favor.

It takes a great deal of effort, planning, and commitment to simply take on a challenge. The last thing we need to do once we get started is allow anything to stop or interrupt our progress. Once the rock is rolling, keep it rolling. Once we take a step forward toward our goals and our commitment, find a way to do something every single day –even if it is something small and seemingly insignificant—to keep moving in a positive direction.

Nothing kills progress faster and more effectively than losing our momentum. As I learned about and became more exposed to the issues of addiction the theme “one day at a time” makes sense. It is impossible to accomplish a commitment of lifetime sobriety without accomplishing it daily. It is impossible to cover a 100 day objective with a single effort.

The best way for us to get from where we are to where we expect to be is to make focus on accomplishing something one day at a time. Each one of those days becomes a successful, positive experience that manifests itself in positive energy that pushes forward into the next day. And, with each successful positive day the result creates an exponential force that drives us toward our goals.

The momentum created by realizing and celebrating our daily accomplishments is a very powerful resource; maintain it, protect it, and leverage it – for it is the most influential key to you achieving your goals and realizing your dreams.

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives, Maintaining Focus, Make A Commitment, Uncategorized

Remember the Journey

June 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“You have to remember the journey before you can embrace the celebration.”

It is always important to remember where you started in order to truly appreciated what you have accomplished. I have stood at many finish lines celebrating the accomplishment of a goal. None had more meaning or impact on my life than the ones I worked hardest for or learned most from. The ones that meant the most were the ones I could appreciate and recognize how hard I worked to get there. And, the ones that I took for granted were those that didn’t seem to require much effort, time, or energy.

Success in our lives does not always require a significant amount of pain, effort or struggle. In fact, we do some incredible things many days that we don’t realize because we are particularly gifted at them. For others, accomplishing our daily little things would be someone else’s big goal. By continually living our passion and our purpose in our lives, we accomplish a lot without ever realizing or appreciating it.

That is why when we go after something big, it is something that pushes our envelope. It is something that is beyond our normal greatness. And, it is something that we put a focused effort in accomplishing and achieving. That is why when we do something worthy of a celebration, it is because that accomplishment is unique, special, and exceptional. And, in order to really enjoy the celebration, the journey, the experience, and the lesson are all part of the celebration process.

Bottom line – we can only appreciate our accomplishments when we understand the paths we took to get there. Be mindful of your journey. Be aware and receptive to the lessons, experiences, and struggles along the way. Be open to the advice, wisdom, and guidance of others as you progress through life. When you find yourself at the finish line, celebrating your accomplishment, all those experiences become part of your story and your success formula. It are those experiences that make the entire effort worth the effort and the outcome.

Filed Under: Celebrating Accomplishment, Learning From Experience, Uncategorized

Getting Unstuck

June 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“Stuck is that long pause in the transition between safe and familiar to risky and unknown. Unstuck is leveraging the clarity of your purpose and passion to drive you forward.”

I have had several conversations the past few days with individuals who openly admitted they were “stuck.” As we talked about their condition it was apparent that what they were feeling was a reluctance to move forward toward what they thought they needed to be doing. As I probed further, it became even more obvious that what they had no passion for the mission or activity they were tasking themselves with. As a result, the road they were traveling contained more risk than they were willing or committed to invest in. They were not stuck as much as they were reluctant to engage.

Tackling a project, a goal, a mission requires a great deal of energy. Driving yourself forward in any undertaking has it challenge and its difficulties. Not every journey, in fact, very few journeys, are ever easy. They are rewarding, but not easy. If your heart and soul are not dialed into a mission, it is very difficult to engage, especially if you can see the hardships on the horizon.

Imagine walking up to the base of a mountain that you have absolutely no desire to climb. Your friends and family may attempt to convince you to give it a try and that this climb will be a great experience. You look at that mountain, hear their words, and examine the work, effort, and the investment involved and simply say, I am not up for this and opt out. The reason you opted out, you did not see the purpose or sense any passion associated with climbing that mountain. Some may think you were being stubborn in not going along; but, you had a clear sense of the challenge in front of you and you simply couldn’t engage. This is the same outcome as being “stuck.”

When you are feeling stuck somewhere, carefully examine the mission. Are you working on or committing to something that truly inspires you and is congruent to your passion and your purpose? If this occurs in the middle of a project or activity, go back to the original motivation that drove you to make this commitment in the first place. Did you make a commitment to something that connected with your passion and your purpose? And, be honest. It is likely that you convinced yourself this was a good enough idea to invest; however, now that you are engaged you realize you have no real interest in climbing this mountain.

Stuck is a pause as you evaluate the transition from safe and familiar into a new, risky, and challenging environment. The only thing that is going to move you forward with clarity and energy is connecting that mission to the passions and purposes that drive you. If it isn’t there, you will hit the pause button as you try to figure out how to get off the mountain you didn’t want to climb in the first place.

Filed Under: Inspirational Perspectives, Live With Passion, Living Your Purpose, Uncategorized
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