Pushing Past Internal Boundaries

I just finished listening to Jeremy Renner’s story, My Next Breath. It’s a story of accidental trauma, dogged determination, and rehabilitation. I don’t recall Renner giving credit to God specifically, but it is my belief that God was all over that story and is the reason he survived. Renner talks about pushing himself, hard. It’s a powerful story about survival, gratitude, hard work, family, and perhaps more importantly, focusing on what’s important. At first, Renner did not like doing what he was not good at. At a point, he doesn’t have a choice. He had to do many hard things to improve. While he had a strong mindset, he simply refused to do anything but get better. He pushed himself more than he ever did before.

While I’m not advocating going through all he went through to push oneself, I think it is a good thing to do to try things that may be difficult. Recently, I rode the longest I have ever ridden on my motorcycle and did some minor mechanical things on it. While my dad could do literally anything, my attempts resemble Clark Griswold. Usually. The past weekend, though, I went for it. I tried to do some mechanical things, and apart from a broken part I received from eBay (eBay support sucks, by the way—not helpful whatsoever, and I’m still trying to get this return/exchange/replacement sorted. I love Indians, some of my favorite students for sure, and I believe part of this issue is the language barrier. I have confidence with every part purchase I’ve made from India. This time, however, is giving me pause. Hopefully, this person will help me in making it right), the other changes I made went well.

Here’s what I learned when pushing myself.

• Be as prepared as you can be.

• Know your strengths and limitations.

Going in, I knew it was going to take me a while. I’m slow. I’m a novice. I have zero idea virtually what I’m doing (see Griswold statement previously). That part—knowing I’m slow—helped me.

• Use the best tools you have.

For me, my tools aren’t the best, but I use what I have. I use YouTube. I mentally practice. I have a game plan going into whatever I’m doing. Does it always work out? No (see Griswold statement). I saved cardboard from the many packages we receive to make being on the ground or gravel spots softer.

• Enjoy the process.

This is quite a challenge sometimes. I’m not used to knowing how much strength things take to tighten or loosen things or how much it takes to finagle hoses. I’m not used to contorting my inflexible body to get to better positions to do things. I often catch myself whistling. I’m not saying the dwarves were onto something, but something about that helps me be in a better mindset and reminds me to enjoy things. Each mistake is an opportunity to learn. Yes, I 100% believe that is horse poop most of the time, but man, when I’m trying to do something new and unsure, it helps me remember that this process can be fun.

• When you do get frustrated, take a break.

Sometimes, the breaks are self-inflicted. Sometimes, they’re divine. Riding the longest I have ridden, I knew I would take breaks. I didn’t really question it. When I needed it, I stopped, including visiting Wheels Through Time which is so incredibly worth it! On a side note, I do not ever see myself doing an Iron Butt; my own is too frah—gee—lay (not Italian). I struggle being comfortable for long periods on the bike no matter what things I’ve tried. When you’re on two wheels, though, things just look different. They smell different. It feels different. Yes, you get the skunk odors, the decaying road kill. You also get the steakhouses, sweet scents of trees and flowers, the sunrises, the mountains over a hill, the refreshing feel of cool spots. In other words, I’d much rather enjoy the process. Pushing oneself to the next destination or whatever is next isn’t always enjoyable for me. And yes, sometimes, God gives us rain. Even though I literally did shade tree mechanicing last weekend. I had no choice but to pack up, tarp up, and take a break during a downpour. Unfun but necessary. It was during this point I apologized for being snappy to my wife/helper. She did and has been doing great, by the way, in recognizing I need time.

• It’s okay to ask for help.

At one point over the weekend in trying to repair something for the bike, I accidentally burned 5 fingers. It made grasping, pinching, pulling all the more difficult. Many times, my wife helped me locate things, provide additional grip, placed things for me, pinched or fastened things when my own fingers could not. And you know what? We both enjoyed the process. When we are not tired, stressed or vulnerable, or heat exhausted, we do so very much better as a team. It’s not my show or her show, my agenda or her agenda. It’s a single task we’re trying to get done, and we both have ideas. We both bring value. We both have a particular set of skills. Recognize that.

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to handle pushing yourself and maybe some things to expect as you do. After those changes we made, I can definitely and immediately tell a difference in my motorcycle. I am eager to ride a bit farther next time, and I’m curious how it will feel as a result of this work.

To God all the glory!

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