3 simple rules to make everything a Joyride
How the Joyride rules came to be
[Here’s a chapter from Joyride: A mountain bikers’s path to peace. This book has been kicking my ass for years. Every time I think I understand how life works, some S#$% happens and I revert to self doubt, delete some old chapters, add some new chapters and set it aside. After Dialed v2 is published, Joyride v1 is getting done, damnit. Slapping the v1 on there makes it feel easier.
These Joyride Rules have proven very useful in MTB classes and in day to day life. I offer them to you in the spirit of shared joy.]
TL;DR here are the rules:
If you see something cool, say something. Be as specific as you can. If it’s you doing the cool thing, compliment yourself.
When you receive a compliment, you must accept it. No deflection is allowed.
Only positive self-talk. No self deprecation is allowed.
One weekend my team and I were in Moab, UT for a 3-day mountain bike skills camp. Moab is a bucket list destination for many mountain bikers. The trails and scenery are truly epic.
On day 2 one of my longtime clients, we’ll call him Justin, was having a transcendent day. He’s one of those highly intelligent, analytical, process oriented men who builds a successful business with his head then spends his money and time trying to get out of his head — the same head that earned him the company, income, house, truck, bikes, etc.
Funny that: Every cycle we pursue, no matter how dope it feels, must end!
I’d been working with Justin for years. If you have a mind like his, it can only let go when it knows you’ve achieved mastery. On this day Justin was ripping! We were riding down the Alaska trail in the Klondike Bluffs area north of Moab. It’s pure rocky flow-gnar. OMG it was so good! He stayed on my wheel the whole time, pure speed and flow and joy, and the rest of the group chased our pixie dust. So good!
After class my team and I were doing our usual post clinic critique. Every day I assess what went well and what we can do better. While we were stoking out about Justin, he drove up to say thank you for the great day. We congratulated him, then he drove to his hotel.
An hour later I received an email from him. “Lee, tell me the truth. Will I always suck at mountain biking? I’ve spent thousands of dollars on bikes and coaching, and I’m still not getting it.”
Ouch. I picked up the phone and gave him a call. Bottom line, his base lack of self love overwhelmed a perfect day. His story that he’s bad at riding survived despite evidence to the contrary. I pumped him up the best I could and told my co coach, “This isn’t working. I need to do something new.”
The next morning was our big graduation ride. This is a long, technical, physically demanding and emotionally challenging adventure. If I take you on this ride, I know you’re ready. I always give a firm safety speech and some inspiring words.
On this day I was excited, warmed up and ready. I must have been feeling my inner kung fu, because from my mouth came these words:
Welcome everyone! We have a powerful opportunity to create something awesome together. We will all get down this trail safely. We will all have fun. But we can experience something even more powerful if we follow these simple rules. Just do it today. If you like the rules, take them home and to work. OK? Here are the rules:
If you see something cool, say something. Be as specific as you can. If it’s you doing the cool thing, compliment yourself.
When you receive a compliment, you must accept it. No deflection is allowed.
Only positive self-talk. No self deprecation is allowed.
I and the coaches will model this for you. If you catch me talking smack on myself, call me on it. This is hard.
Does everyone understand?
OK! Let’s ride!
And on that day the Joyride was born. We were no longer individual egos fighting for our place in the hierarchy. We were sharing an experience, trading compliments and generating stoke. Soon we were a sine wave of love – a pod of baby porpoises porpoisefully cavorting down some of the gnarliest trails around. It was so fun! The fastest riders got faster, which is no surprise, but the slower riders got even faster, and we all finished together. Something about the Joyride made us unite emotionally and physically. Pretty awesome.
Justin had a great day. This is one of those rides where we’re hauling ass down the gnar, and one of the bros calls out “Stop!” We stop and his head is down, sobbing on his handlebars, crying the cry he’s been holding in for a decade. “Wow! We’re not just learning how to ride are we?”
No sir. The bike gets you here. It’s just the vehicle for you to experience your pure and true self.
Let’s dig deeper into the Joyride rules
Since that camp in Moab, I use the Joyride rules in every bike class, every non-bike coaching session, every corporate training and in my own life. Like all things true, the Joyride rules are simple and beautiful and powerful.
These rules get harder as you go down the list. Next week we’ll dig into Rule 1.
“Hey Lee, you did a good job writing that.”
“Thanks bro.”
See how it works? :)
Lee