jeff noel – Page 1134 – Disney Creativity and Innovation Keynote Speaker

Rocky Mountain High

That image of those three bicyclists at 8,000 feet, with the Colorado Rocky Mountains above and below them, was permanently etched on my brain.

I had just turned 13. And yet, I was thinking and dreaming as if I were an adult.

Their summit, the Continental Divide, was still potentially a few hours away for them, at 10,000-plus feet elevation.

Our bus would reach the summit in just ten more minutes.

Have you ever dreamed of doing something uncommonly care-free and ultra-adventurous?

Why?

What is that voice inside all of us that speaks to our desire to go on an adventure that is far beyond our present understanding and capabilities?

And wouldn’t it be nice if we could still tap into that now, and make the adventure of being a responsible adult, exciting and even, “fashionable”?

You Mean He Just…

“You mean he just decided to ride his bike across the country by himself?”, my wife’s friend asked her recently.

Well, not exactly. In fact, not even close. The idea of a cross-country bicycle trip had been with me since 1973. The actual trip began nearly a decade later. So, no, I didn’t just decide.

It was more like a dream seed that was planted while on a three-week Boy Scout bus trip across the United States. From Pennsylvania to northern Idaho and back. A week out, a week there, a week back.

It was while crossing the Colorado Rocky Mountains when the dream seed was planted.

Out our chartered bus window, on our way across the continental divide (elevation some 10,000 feet) I saw three cyclists at about 8,000 feet on their way to the summit.

Their bicycles were loaded down with saddlebags full of camping gear, tents, sleeping bags. They appeared to be taking a break from their long climb, enjoying a snack and the spectacular scenery.

We sat on a bus, were young teens, and at the mercy of the bus schedule.

They were late teens, early twenties, sitting on bicycles, stopping when ever and where ever they wanted, for as long as they wanted.

To be able to not only see the majestic Rocky Mountains from that height, but to smell them, touch them, hear them….

Got resolve?

Yesterday’s post spoke of being old and being brand new. Huh? Here’s what I meant.

After five decades, the revelation that in the big picture, what other humans think of me is really inconsequential. It’s probably the same for you too. And if it’s not, what if it was? Seriously.

We’re all going to be dead in 100 years and no one will remember any of us. So why worry about it? Just live a good and decent life and work hard to do the right thing – primarily, try to serve others more than yourself.

It’s probably obnoxious to some people that I write five blogs every single day. Who gives a fu flip?

Are you poised to transform yourself before you die? While it doesn’t matter what others think, it certainly matters what you think. Got resolve?

Brand New Old Man

Is 50 old? I think not. Not to my In-Laws (83 & 86). Maybe to our son (9), or one of my colleagues (28). But not me. No sir-yee.

Old? What does that mean, old?

And what does it mean to be brand new? Can something “old” become brand new?

I think so. I know so.

The question now, is, “Do you think so?”

Ok I Gotta Say This

But not sure how. It’s kinda deep, and yet it’s not. It’s important, but most don’t see it.

Why? because people are afraid. Fear is a survival tactic that was bestowed on early humans to help them avoid being eaten. What caveman wouldn’t want that?

Want you to know, upfront, that this has only been a revelation in the last year or so for me. And it is the five-a-day blog writing that has awakened the truth. And the truth is, most of us lack courage.

There are true alpha dogs in the human pack, but not nearly as many as you might think. I digress.

Ever listen to people offering advice about what’s important? Next time listen more closely.

Do you hear them using their own examples, struggles, triumphs,? Or do they use someone else’s? Or maybe no examples at all, just theory?

My theory is not much has changed since we lived in caves, except fewer of us get eaten when we walk outside.