How often, in various aspects of our lives, do we feel inadequate, a failure, unworthy of positions we may hold or the direction of life which we have chosen for ourselves. We struggle to find our "place", or balance within our own sphere of daily activity, struggle to carry a sense of being and worth within our hearts.
As children we are taught certain rules and boundaries by those who raise us, including grandparents, parents, siblings and friends of the Family. Whether these rules and guidelines are good or bad, a certain percentage of what we are taught as children will stay with us as we move through our teens and into adulthood. As adults we discard those rules which we feel don't necessarily apply to us, and form new rules and boundaries which we choose to live by. Thats life, and thats how society progresses, again, in either a good or bad fashion.
However, how often do we allow the boundaries and rules that others live by to effect us, at the expence of the person we are within our own hearts? I would suggest that this is a common thread for everyone, with the extent of this factor varying in each of us.
My GrandFather taught me much, and I remember being in his carport, tinkering with some project we were working on together, and I made a comment about my best not being good enough. I think I was 9 or 10 years of age. He turned to me, and with a stern but loving expression on his face, he said, "If you know that you have done your best, and tried the hardest you can, then your best is always good enough"
As a child, I didn't understand the full implications of what he was saying, but as I've grown into an adult, a husband(twice..lol), a father and grandfather, I've realised there is so much more to what he said to me that day.
There are many "types" of people in this world, with personalities as varied as our individual fingerprints, and each of those personalities that we encounter in our lives will effect us to some extent.
Work, family life, pleasure, leisure and even the mundane activities such as going to the corner shop, there are personalities which we encounter which we remember, for whatever reasons.
Some we purposfully allow to have a greater effect on us than others, but there is always some "residue" left with us from every person we meet.
Learning about ourselves, coming to terms with who we are internally/emotionally and finding acceptance and balance within ourselves is paramount to prioritising the residue left by others on our hearts and minds. Although it is often quite difficult to look inside ourselves, as I've mentioned in other blogs, it can be very interesting and fun.
Very often, the feelings of failure and inadequacy we may feel are not generated from within, they are generated by the boundaries and expectations projected onto us by others. We have psuedo-adopted another individuals rules and boundaries and used those when gageing our own actions, as either a success or failure, when in reality we should be looking at our own internal sliding scale as to whether we have been successful or not in whatever action we are justifying in our own mind.
If you know you are doing your best, you are considerate and sensitive to/of others, and harm no-other, then your best will always be good enough, regardless of the projections of others. The issue is theirs to contend with, not your own.
Friday 27 May 2011
Wednesday 18 May 2011
BtB weekend fun.
On the weekend just gone, I had one of the best weekends of my life: I spent three days in Townsville for the "Beat the Bastard" Charity Free Ride for Gravity Sports.
This is the third year the free ride has been held, which is staged to generate money to go towards Cancer Research.
This year, 55 of Australia's best gravity riders from the majority of main gravity disciplines attended. Gravity Bike, Streetluge, Classic Luge and Standup were represented, with two World Champions coming to play on Mt Stuart, one of the most challenging roads to ride in Australia.
Brett Phillips: ex-G-Bike World Champion.
Merrick Wildash: current Junior Standup World Champion.
"BtB" was conceptualised around a dining table, late one night, as a way of supporting the main organiser in his fight with Prostate Cancer. The idea was put forward with love and friendship in the hearts of those who were there that night, and that feeling of closeness has been perpetuated through every event. Those who form the actual "BtB" Organising Committee put in hundreds of hours of work to make sure that every rider who attendes this legal event has as many rides as he/she can handle over a two day period.
From 6am to 6pm, on the Saturday and Sunday, the Mt Stuart road is closed, and is transformed from a public access road into a Gravity Riders Disneyland. Laughter, disciplines riding with other disciplines, and genuine friendship and mateship make this very special weekend the weekend that it is, and to such an extent that every rider who leaves at the end of the event can't wait to get back the next time "BtB" comes round again.
I have been involved in Gravity Sports since early 1995, and have met many very amazing people over the years. However, this "BtB" event brought home how tight Gravity Riders are, and how unigue each individual person is.
Two months after the 2010 "BtB" I was diagnosed, and over the last few months my mobility has altered greatly. I walk with crutches now, with several limitations to my everyday life, as the illness progresses. But to the people I shared Mt Stuart with, my frustrations of needing help meant nothing, as they opened their hands and hearts to help me enjoy the hill with them, as an equal. I used to ride streetluge, and as things changed within me I've begun riding a G-Bike, and I'm loving it!!! To get into the back of the truck, all the riders would lift me onto the tray, and lift me down at the top of the hill, getting my bike for me, and riding beside me as we began our runs. One very special man, who's large in stature with an even bigger heart, would put his arms around me and just pick me up, and with the gentle words, "Hang on, my friend", he would lower me to the ground and made sure I was ready to roll. Regardless of discipline, everyone I had the pleasure to ride with was the same....not sorrow for me, but honest friendship and love.
Gravity Sports is not only a lifestyle for many of us, it is a definate passion. Every rider looks out for the other, and each joy when riding is quickly shared with other riders at the bottom of the hill you are riding. I rode with very close friends from Canberra, Berridale, Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Some riders I met for the first time, old and young, male and female....but it made no differance, because we are part of the Gravity Family.
"BtB" is a totally unique gathering, with very, very special people. Male or female, regardless of discipline the individual rides, the riders at this event, along with the hardwork of an amazing organising crew, make it what it is......the core and truthfullness of what we do, enjoy and share...we are Family!
This is the third year the free ride has been held, which is staged to generate money to go towards Cancer Research.
This year, 55 of Australia's best gravity riders from the majority of main gravity disciplines attended. Gravity Bike, Streetluge, Classic Luge and Standup were represented, with two World Champions coming to play on Mt Stuart, one of the most challenging roads to ride in Australia.
Brett Phillips: ex-G-Bike World Champion.
Merrick Wildash: current Junior Standup World Champion.
"BtB" was conceptualised around a dining table, late one night, as a way of supporting the main organiser in his fight with Prostate Cancer. The idea was put forward with love and friendship in the hearts of those who were there that night, and that feeling of closeness has been perpetuated through every event. Those who form the actual "BtB" Organising Committee put in hundreds of hours of work to make sure that every rider who attendes this legal event has as many rides as he/she can handle over a two day period.
From 6am to 6pm, on the Saturday and Sunday, the Mt Stuart road is closed, and is transformed from a public access road into a Gravity Riders Disneyland. Laughter, disciplines riding with other disciplines, and genuine friendship and mateship make this very special weekend the weekend that it is, and to such an extent that every rider who leaves at the end of the event can't wait to get back the next time "BtB" comes round again.
I have been involved in Gravity Sports since early 1995, and have met many very amazing people over the years. However, this "BtB" event brought home how tight Gravity Riders are, and how unigue each individual person is.
Two months after the 2010 "BtB" I was diagnosed, and over the last few months my mobility has altered greatly. I walk with crutches now, with several limitations to my everyday life, as the illness progresses. But to the people I shared Mt Stuart with, my frustrations of needing help meant nothing, as they opened their hands and hearts to help me enjoy the hill with them, as an equal. I used to ride streetluge, and as things changed within me I've begun riding a G-Bike, and I'm loving it!!! To get into the back of the truck, all the riders would lift me onto the tray, and lift me down at the top of the hill, getting my bike for me, and riding beside me as we began our runs. One very special man, who's large in stature with an even bigger heart, would put his arms around me and just pick me up, and with the gentle words, "Hang on, my friend", he would lower me to the ground and made sure I was ready to roll. Regardless of discipline, everyone I had the pleasure to ride with was the same....not sorrow for me, but honest friendship and love.
Gravity Sports is not only a lifestyle for many of us, it is a definate passion. Every rider looks out for the other, and each joy when riding is quickly shared with other riders at the bottom of the hill you are riding. I rode with very close friends from Canberra, Berridale, Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Some riders I met for the first time, old and young, male and female....but it made no differance, because we are part of the Gravity Family.
"BtB" is a totally unique gathering, with very, very special people. Male or female, regardless of discipline the individual rides, the riders at this event, along with the hardwork of an amazing organising crew, make it what it is......the core and truthfullness of what we do, enjoy and share...we are Family!
Sunday 8 May 2011
"Let Man be punished for his own sins, and not for Adam's transgression"
The quotation above will be recognised by some, as it's an "Article of Faith", pertenant to the particular faith I have.
It obviously has a religious overtone, relating to how we perceive and judge others, and is a platform to self-critique our own actions.
In my own life, I have a slightly differant twist to this Article of Faith, putting it into a more "laymans terms" expression: "White, Black, Pink or Green, if you're an arsehole you're an arsehole"
How often are we guilty of labelling others, not looking at them as individuals but seeing them as an entity within a group or catagory which either society, the media, Family or religious sect we belong to labelled as a "certain type", and we blindly follow suit, without questioning this act of judgement, but are prepared to be sheep to satisfy others and gain perceived acceptance of that particular group.
Pressure to conform to the expectations of others has been part of Humanity since time began, from Family, friends and Religious Faith, which I find extremely hypocritical, especially from a religious point of view. Every religion teaches tolerance and forgiveness, however, in reality, it seems the majority of religions of the world are the first to judge and condemn whole groups of people, from minority groups who differ in thought and principals to entire Nations, without either looking at the individuals involved in the group/Nation and holding the individual accountable for his/her own actions, nor do many consider the motivations of the individual/groups actions.
Within every group/Nation/Religion, there is always a fundamentalist group of individuals who become the focus of attention due to the exposure they receive because of their actions, and in an instant the whole group/Nation/Religion is labelled and judged on those actions and intent of a small group.
These comments will be equated, by many, as a comment on whats happening with the Middle East, Osama and Islam, ie, the reader making a judgement on the overall, not the individual aspect, and thats fair enough, it's a perfect example, although this example is not the motivation for writing about this particular topic. My motivation was more of a personal observation on things happening around me, in my life, and certainly not an attempt to "right the World".
How often are we judged by others, harshly and totally out of context, based on misinformation, looks, friends we have or the particular group we gladly/willingly associate with on a day to day basis?
However, in turn, are we guilty of doing the same?
Looking at an individual, and allowing them to show themselves to you, without bias or prejudice, is sometimes one of the hardest things to do, as in order to allow that to happen we, in turn, have to open our own hearts to accept them, and that is often not an easy task.
Before we can look at another individual, without bias, we have to look at ourselves first, our own hearts and motivations, and accept the person within, good, bad or ugly, and come to peacefull terms with who we are. Once we have done that, and can be open about that which makes us tick, and have opened the closed doors within our own hearts, it is only then we can look at another in an honest attempt to understand them, their life, loves and motivations.
Ugliness is not a natural order of things, it is a manufactured human attribute created by people who either haven't looked at themselves and come to a peacefull understanding of their spirit, or they haven't accepted who they are, and lay blame at the feet of others.
The wonderous aspect to all this, for me, is that we continously grow and learn about ourselves all the time, with every incident which challenges our motivations and principles, and how we react to them.
Life itself is only a short experience, and this time period in my life is wonderful, in many, many ways.
Why?
Because those whom have showed me their hearts, and have held my hand and embraced me, have shown me what true beauty is, and what true friendship encapsulates.
An expression which has so few words, but holds so much meaning, in so many ways:
"We just is"...:)
Just my thoughts.
The quotation above will be recognised by some, as it's an "Article of Faith", pertenant to the particular faith I have.
It obviously has a religious overtone, relating to how we perceive and judge others, and is a platform to self-critique our own actions.
In my own life, I have a slightly differant twist to this Article of Faith, putting it into a more "laymans terms" expression: "White, Black, Pink or Green, if you're an arsehole you're an arsehole"
How often are we guilty of labelling others, not looking at them as individuals but seeing them as an entity within a group or catagory which either society, the media, Family or religious sect we belong to labelled as a "certain type", and we blindly follow suit, without questioning this act of judgement, but are prepared to be sheep to satisfy others and gain perceived acceptance of that particular group.
Pressure to conform to the expectations of others has been part of Humanity since time began, from Family, friends and Religious Faith, which I find extremely hypocritical, especially from a religious point of view. Every religion teaches tolerance and forgiveness, however, in reality, it seems the majority of religions of the world are the first to judge and condemn whole groups of people, from minority groups who differ in thought and principals to entire Nations, without either looking at the individuals involved in the group/Nation and holding the individual accountable for his/her own actions, nor do many consider the motivations of the individual/groups actions.
Within every group/Nation/Religion, there is always a fundamentalist group of individuals who become the focus of attention due to the exposure they receive because of their actions, and in an instant the whole group/Nation/Religion is labelled and judged on those actions and intent of a small group.
These comments will be equated, by many, as a comment on whats happening with the Middle East, Osama and Islam, ie, the reader making a judgement on the overall, not the individual aspect, and thats fair enough, it's a perfect example, although this example is not the motivation for writing about this particular topic. My motivation was more of a personal observation on things happening around me, in my life, and certainly not an attempt to "right the World".
How often are we judged by others, harshly and totally out of context, based on misinformation, looks, friends we have or the particular group we gladly/willingly associate with on a day to day basis?
However, in turn, are we guilty of doing the same?
Looking at an individual, and allowing them to show themselves to you, without bias or prejudice, is sometimes one of the hardest things to do, as in order to allow that to happen we, in turn, have to open our own hearts to accept them, and that is often not an easy task.
Before we can look at another individual, without bias, we have to look at ourselves first, our own hearts and motivations, and accept the person within, good, bad or ugly, and come to peacefull terms with who we are. Once we have done that, and can be open about that which makes us tick, and have opened the closed doors within our own hearts, it is only then we can look at another in an honest attempt to understand them, their life, loves and motivations.
Ugliness is not a natural order of things, it is a manufactured human attribute created by people who either haven't looked at themselves and come to a peacefull understanding of their spirit, or they haven't accepted who they are, and lay blame at the feet of others.
The wonderous aspect to all this, for me, is that we continously grow and learn about ourselves all the time, with every incident which challenges our motivations and principles, and how we react to them.
Life itself is only a short experience, and this time period in my life is wonderful, in many, many ways.
Why?
Because those whom have showed me their hearts, and have held my hand and embraced me, have shown me what true beauty is, and what true friendship encapsulates.
An expression which has so few words, but holds so much meaning, in so many ways:
"We just is"...:)
Just my thoughts.
Thursday 5 May 2011
Your animal.
If you could be an animal, what animal would you chose?
For me, the answer is easy, I'd be a bird, an Eagle or Albatross.....to be able to stretch out my wings, feel the gentle pressure of the wind under them and to rise and glide....almost pure emotion attached to movement. Just to drift along with the wind, to slowly lean your body in one direction or the other to change direction, scoring food when you needed, and the rest of the time just cruising...:)
Friends of mine have said they'd like to be a Bear, because of the strength of the animal, others would be dogs or cats, or small "forest animals", each of them having personal reasons as to why they choose the animal they did. For each, whether they realised it or not, their choice of creature was an indication of the person they were/are, alligning themselves with attributes of that respective animal, attributes they either felt they had, or desired.
I had a friend who wanted to be a snail, but I couldn't get my head around that one...lolololol.
As a young man, I read a book called "Jonathon Livingston Seagull", and 38 years later I still have a copy. The copy I have is packed away for my children, and even though they've read it already, and certain seeds planted within their minds, this copy will be a gentle reminder, hopefully, of the life principles held within it's pages.
Jonathon Livingston is a seagull...(ah, duh)...and lives within a flock, however struggles with the idea of a seagulls life of fighting for food, with no hope of anything in life, other than getting as much food as possible.
The one thing he loves is flying, and for hours at a time he will be off along nearby cliff faces, learning about updraft, crosswinds, and how these things effect his wings and flightpattern/path. Because of his love, and the knowledge within him that his desire to learn is righteous, the flock banish him into exile, to live by himself away from the Flock so he has no negative influence.
Even though this book is not long, nor a literary masterpeice, the principles it holds are very worthy, and has effected everyone I know who's read it with an open heart in one way or another. So I don't spoil the story for anyone, I won't disclose any more of the story line.
Jonathon learnt that there are some aspects of life that we cannot alter, ie, we are born, we need to eat and eventually, for whatever reason, when it's our turn, we leave this life and move on.
But those are the basics of life, and it's the principles of what we learn and act, how we open our hearts and look at others, with love, respect and consideration...those are the things which fill the pages of our own individual books.
Every major incident is a "chapter", and each chapter is filled with pages of experiences, hurts as well as loves.
I think the trick for all of us is to be desirous of writing a very large novel, and turn it into a Masterpeice, and not be resigned to your "Lifes Book" being thin and unread, dusty on the shelf without anyone ever wanting to turn the pages. Some chapters will never be opened, or shared with very few, and thats natural, but the greater portion of the book should be filled with joy, love and as many experience as is possible.
Everybodies book is worth reading, the question is, are we prepared to read anothers book as well as sharing our own pages with them.
Just my thoughts.
For me, the answer is easy, I'd be a bird, an Eagle or Albatross.....to be able to stretch out my wings, feel the gentle pressure of the wind under them and to rise and glide....almost pure emotion attached to movement. Just to drift along with the wind, to slowly lean your body in one direction or the other to change direction, scoring food when you needed, and the rest of the time just cruising...:)
Friends of mine have said they'd like to be a Bear, because of the strength of the animal, others would be dogs or cats, or small "forest animals", each of them having personal reasons as to why they choose the animal they did. For each, whether they realised it or not, their choice of creature was an indication of the person they were/are, alligning themselves with attributes of that respective animal, attributes they either felt they had, or desired.
I had a friend who wanted to be a snail, but I couldn't get my head around that one...lolololol.
As a young man, I read a book called "Jonathon Livingston Seagull", and 38 years later I still have a copy. The copy I have is packed away for my children, and even though they've read it already, and certain seeds planted within their minds, this copy will be a gentle reminder, hopefully, of the life principles held within it's pages.
Jonathon Livingston is a seagull...(ah, duh)...and lives within a flock, however struggles with the idea of a seagulls life of fighting for food, with no hope of anything in life, other than getting as much food as possible.
The one thing he loves is flying, and for hours at a time he will be off along nearby cliff faces, learning about updraft, crosswinds, and how these things effect his wings and flightpattern/path. Because of his love, and the knowledge within him that his desire to learn is righteous, the flock banish him into exile, to live by himself away from the Flock so he has no negative influence.
Even though this book is not long, nor a literary masterpeice, the principles it holds are very worthy, and has effected everyone I know who's read it with an open heart in one way or another. So I don't spoil the story for anyone, I won't disclose any more of the story line.
Jonathon learnt that there are some aspects of life that we cannot alter, ie, we are born, we need to eat and eventually, for whatever reason, when it's our turn, we leave this life and move on.
But those are the basics of life, and it's the principles of what we learn and act, how we open our hearts and look at others, with love, respect and consideration...those are the things which fill the pages of our own individual books.
Every major incident is a "chapter", and each chapter is filled with pages of experiences, hurts as well as loves.
I think the trick for all of us is to be desirous of writing a very large novel, and turn it into a Masterpeice, and not be resigned to your "Lifes Book" being thin and unread, dusty on the shelf without anyone ever wanting to turn the pages. Some chapters will never be opened, or shared with very few, and thats natural, but the greater portion of the book should be filled with joy, love and as many experience as is possible.
Everybodies book is worth reading, the question is, are we prepared to read anothers book as well as sharing our own pages with them.
Just my thoughts.
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