Nick Bladen – Part 2 – Cycling Across Canada

Thanks for the comments received from the first part of this series. The story continues…..

I was not a cyclist, nor had I done something like it before, but once you know why you want something, the how will just figure itself out. I have never been one to care much about what people had to say, especially if they had never practiced what they were preaching. It just didn’t make sense. The bike ride across Canada was a 77 day trip, that covered over 8200km, and I managed to raise close to $15000 canadian dollars for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. By doing this, I hoped that my words would carry some credibility when encouraging others to get active and to take action on their dreams, and also take responsibility for their health.

The one thing from the trip that had the biggest impact on my life was learning the importance of STARTING NOW! The challenge isn’t to first have an idea or dream of goal. It is to implement it and take action. The reality is that most people go after what they think they can get, instead of what they want. We are used to shrinking to what we can’t, instead of stretching to what we can.

The purpose of me doing my extreme adventures and expeditions is simple:

• I love the learning I go through and the physical and mental challenge of it all
• I hope to stress to those around me, and within my influence, the importance of having a passion, having a vision and chasing a dream.

Dreams remain dreams if not woken. People need to believe in the object of their intentions. Even more so than the accomplishment of the goals they set, they must trust in their efforts and intentions, and will not only get closer to what they want, but pioneer hope and empathy in their own circle of family, their culture, their work, and in the hearts of everyone’s lives they touch. This is life. This is our life, and we are the main characters in it. All too often we convince ourselves that we have little control over the big things in life  and what ends up happening is that the big decisions we need to make follow us around, especially the decisions we don’t make.

We become afraid about “potential consequences” and never take the first steps. If we can all learn to have a little more faith in our ability to handle anything that is thrown at us and know that neither the good kilometres or the bad kilometres of our trips will ever last, then perhaps we would lead a more fulfilled life, even just a little.

I have read the above segment of Nick’s story time and time again, and each time I do, there is another message I receive. So many of the words were like a jolt for me. Making the decision and starting now was a big one. How many of us have a great idea, or know we should be doing something, but just never get started? There’s always a great excuse, but that is all it is, an excuse. How easy is it to sit back in life and just wait and see? Some-one else might take action or change our situations, but then again, maybe they won’t.

What about that decision that you know you must make. You worry about all the potential outcomes. What might happen, I might upset that person, what if it doesn’t work out the way I want it to? The list of “what if’s are endless, but until you make your decision, the heaviness of indecision stays with you. How many of you have felt the freedom of making a choice, and feeling your burden being lifted immediately. This freedom is within everyone’s reach.

As humans we all travel the good and bad kilometres in life. Neither lasts forever. This is what makes us human. If all we had in life was good, what do you compare that with? I bet  people in the western world who complain about their ‘bad life’ would not want to swap places with some-one from a war torn country with no home or food for themselves or their children. Experiences are all relative.

Why not put one foot forward and take those first steps to making your life the way you want it to be. Take control of your destination and journey by taking action! Know what your passion is and follow your dream. You may not cycle across Canada, or then again, maybe you will, but I believe Nick’s message is “Confront your fears, stretch yourself and your abilities, and really live this wonderful thing we have called LIFE.” What a fantastic message that is for all of us, whatever our journey is!