Conquer That Fear

"If you worried about falling off the bike, you'd never get on." ~ Lance Armstrong

Progressing and quickly becoming an avid bike rider; I can readily agree with this statement. Falls are inevitable, but the will and courage to get back on is a choice. When I made the switch to clipless pedals, I heard more experienced riders tell me there are only two types of bike riders: the one's who fall and the one's who have yet to fall. I truly thought I would be the one who never fell; however, I'm now in the category of the "one's who fall."

My first bike fall was nothing short of a shock. One minute I'm about to stop at the red light and the next I'm lying on the asphalt. I quickly get back up, shyly waive to the driver staring at me, and quickly advise that I was okay. The only visible damage was an ugly road burn to the left knee and a small scratch on my bike. The invisible damage was my confidence in my ability to ride my bike for fear of falling.

The choice: I had to decide whether or not to call Mark to pick me up or ride home. I chose to get up, conquer my fear, and ride home. My confidence was affected and I was more cautious with every ride, but soon the ease of riding became the norm.

As with any situation, I like to evaluate and learn from my experience. This experience of falling taught me to never quite because you fall and never let a fear conquer you. Choose to rise above the challenge and continue on. With every setback, you must allow it to strengthen you and build your character rather than live in the shadow of defeat.

Verse: You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of you; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. ~ Ps. 16:11