I bought a motorcycle. Yup, at 54, though I’d never owned one or driven one before in my life, I got myself a bike.
And yes, I’ve heard all the “midlife crisis” comments and the “what were you thinking” reactions, and all the reasons that riding a motorcycle is too risky. That’s okay. The truth is, owning a motorcycle was not something I thought would ever happen. I mean over the years I’d occasionally mention to my wife Kathy that I’d like to ride one someday. We’d even talk about taking a bike across the country through the Canadian Rockies.
But those comments were fleeting at best.
Until this year.
This Spring I was given an opportunity to get a motorcycle…in fact a Honda Shadow 750, the make and model I always wanted (even though I didn’t know much about them). It’s a classic bike and just looked cool to me.
But like I said, I’d never owned a motorcycle or even driven one. So why bother now?
To some, it may seem like a reckless decision. I mean, do I have a death wish? (I don’t)
So why do something at my age that seems to be so risky?
I’d like to think that we are never too old to try something new, even if it is risky.
One of my own life coaches once described me as a “calculating risk-taker”. I like that. I think that describes me pretty well. She was saying that as I think through a decision, I consider the pros & cons, the risks and the potential, that I invite outside perspectives and consider all options. Then I take action.
So to some, getting a motorcycle was an impromptu decision, and compared to other decisions I’ve made, it did happen rather quickly. (I shared in my book Unplanned Parenthood, the story of how it took me twelve months to decide on which TV to buy).
While the bike happened in a matter of days, I still calculated the cost, the risk and the upside. Before I pulled the trigger…
- I got Kathy’s blessing; she encouraged me to get it and I wouldn’t have done it without her consent.
- I even asked, “What if I get into this and I don’t actually enjoy riding as much as I think I will?” How was I to know?
- I spent an entire weekend watching training videos to get a sense of what was involved
- I researched the bike
Then even after I got the bike in May of this year…
- I began preparing for my written license by taking practice tests online. I even recorded my results of a number of weeks that went from 88% to 100% I wanted to ace that test!
- I researched the type of gear I would wear
- I practiced slow maneuvers 4-5 times a week in a local parking lot for weeks
- I registered and took a motorcycle safety course (this was an entire weekend & $500)
All of these things happened before I was licensed and insured to ride on the road.
So you see, while the decision to ride a motorcycle may have seemed rash, I did all I could to make riding a bike for the first time at 54 years of age, as safe as possible.
You want to know something? I absolutely love riding. I really do. I love the sights, sounds and smells of the country air, I love how it clears my head after a busy day or week, I love the new community of riders I connect with and as an introvert I love riding alone for hours. I’ve been known to be gone for an entire day…by myself.
I love riding a bike so much I put 8700km on it in 4 months…which apparently is quite a bit for a newbie.
My point is this though…I often hear people tell me things that they want to do…but they never get around to doing them. And I could be wrong but the older we get the easier it might become to keep putting them off.
Let me ask you this.
Q. What do you think about? I mean, what is the thing that keeps popping up in your mind that you want to do, but keep pushing back on?
It may not be riding a motorcycle; it may be something way more important. The longer you put it off, the harder it will get to ever do. I’m not talking about doing something reckless like risking your life savings on a roulette wheel, or jumping out of a plane without a parachute.
But there is likely some risk to the things that we really want to do; but almost anything of significance carries some measure of risk, doesn’t it?
For me, I mitigated the risk of riding a motorcycle with training, practice and protection. But I’m glad I took the risk.
One last thing…the things that matter to you the most and the decisions that have impacted your life the most are because they included some risk. You proposed…you took that job…you moved to that city…you made that call…you joined that group etc
Most aspects of our lives include some risk…and we can’t change that. But taking the risk might be just what we should do anyway.
You’re never too old to try something new.
And always remember “rubber side down”.
Feeling stuck? Not sure what to do next? Your life not where you want it to be? Life coaching can help. Contact me for a free 45-minute discovery call. Let’s talk.
Be First to Comment