“One of the best lessons you can learn in life is to master how to remain calm”~ Catherine Pulsifer
🌬MOTIVATION MONDAY-MASTERY OF REMAINING CALM 👊
The mastery of remaining calm comes from changing the way the mind thinks. To exercise patience and positive thoughts instead of freaking out or panicking. One way I have learned to remain calm is to remind myself of something very stressful or uncomfortable from the past and comparing it to the current situation. Living through extreme or ridiculous situations help to keep everything in perspective, and help to master to remain calm and collected.
One way I remain calm on the bike on the road, is by thinking back to some of the worst times on the ride to Alaska and back. All we had were flip phones with no service and we were at mother nature’s mercy at any moment. One day, we woke up to a flooded tent in 33 degree freezing rain in the middle of Manitoba, Canada and had to helplessly pack our bob trailers in the dark wet rain. As the cold water started to flood the tent, we awoke like a nightmare. This was next to a giant bear slashing through our tent. We weren’t just about to suffer from being uncomfortable or be tired by riding (that was accepted), but we were literally going to freeze to death if we didn’t get moving. With all our dry clothes we had left, we quickly put everything on, packed up our camp site, and forged on to the next town, some 50 miles north.
I remember the horrible feeling of all my clothes filling up with freezing rain and the numb feeling. It was 4 hours of hell and almost not knowing if we’d make it. Thoughts of quitting the Alaska trip flooded my mind. Questioning what it was all worth. There were times we went over an hour without seeing a car and when they did come, they’d fly by at 100km/hour. This taught me the hard way to remain calm and patient when things go wrong. And whenever there is a day when I find myself complaining about bad weather or an uncomfortable situation, I take a deep breath and think back to that miserable day.
Also on the open road traveling across North America, are the abundance walks of life we came across. From time to time, yes we did come across a angry or violent driver. I’ve learned to never acknowledge negativity as slowly but surely there were a handful of positive people waiting down the road. Any negativity simple does not phase me and goes in one ear and out the other. The kindness of strangers always prevailed.
Whenever you are stressed out, angry, or about to lose it, remember to remain calm, and spread the calmness and surround yourself with those who are also calm.
P.S. This is a real life picture of myself atop a Publix Distribution Center on the adventures with Chris Tricoli back on the turn of 2014-2015.