When Life Gives You Bugs Make Bug Juice

As many of you know I hurt my ankle playing basketball in February while pretending to be "cool" with my boys and a neighbor kid. As a guy who's had multiple surgeries (including a knee and ankle reconstruction), broke my arm nine times (yes, nine and believe it or not I was not abused as a child) as a kid and broken every finger and toe at least once I should be accustomed to pain. I thought I was until this recent injury. To say its be an arduous recovery period would be an understatement!

Well my ankle is still swollen but the five minutes of spring we get in Austin simply was too much for me to resist. Both my bike, my butt and the many extra pounds I had put on over the winter and due to the convenient excuse of said injury were telling me it was time.

Man does exercise suck once you haven't been out there doing it for some time! I mean seriously...I didn't realize how much I had enjoyed feeling good and in shape until I suddenly wasn't. I can see that getting back to a reasonable weight and fitness level is going to take some time, patience and some perseverance on my part. That last part is why I write this this morning.

As I got out on my bike these past few days in the early morning hours the actually act of riding was really nice. It reminded me why I enjoy riding the bike. The cool (well somewhat) breeze in my face, the speed and the freedom of being back out doing something, anything, was exhilarating.

Then it happened.

First it was one here and there. Then an entire swarm. I peddled faster and they seemed to chase me for some time. BUGS! Little annoying flying pests out for a pre-dawn flutter over the trail. I managed to power through rubbing the little buggers (no pun intended - okay maybe a little) from my eyes and cheeks. I peddled faster and left them eating my dust smiling to myself at the shear physical prowess and speed I still had in me. With my mouth wide open and that self-satisfaction of a job well done it happened again!

I don't know how many of the list creeps I inhaled but clearly it was more than a few. This time the swarm was enormous. It looked like a black cloud of death. Tiny pelts of bugs exploded all over me - on my shirt, on my legs, on my face and in my hair. The faster I peddled the faster their tiny bodies seemed to explode and pop.

I made it through that first day riding completely covered. I ate more bugs than Bear Grylls could ever eat on one of his survival adventures. As I wiped off my face and flung my bug covered shirt over my shoulder that moment of truth happened. The mind that loves to make excuses for why we shouldn't or can't do something kicked in.

My thoughts immediately started saying...well there ya go, you missed the early spring riding when the bugs weren't going to be a problem and now look at ya...bug juice dripping from your teeth and your brown hair turned black with their dead carcasses. You simply don't need to exercise that badly do you? I mean seriously it's only a few extra pounds and besides...look at your ankle! It's still hurt...probably shouldn't even be riding anyway.

My mind was right. Too many bugs to ride in the early morning and way too many in the evening. I should just try eating a few more salads and drinking a few less beers. I could easily wait until the summer when the bugs hide from the heat and get back into my biking regimen then. That's what I should absolutely do.

I put my bike in the garage and continued to sort of laugh at the condition that I was in. It is true the last thing that goes through a bug's mind before it hits an oncoming Steve is its ass! I was covered with little departed souls that I am sure had no idea I as coming or that on this particular day I would be taking the role of bug executioner.

As my alarm clock went off this morning the mind quickly said remember those bugs. It's dark and they are just waiting to attack. Better hit the snooze button old pal. I decided not to listen.

You see whatever challenges life throws at you I believe they are there to test us to see how badly we want something. I want to get back into shape and aside from when bugs attack I enjoy the peacefulness of an early morning ride alone with my thoughts or some jumpy tunes on the iPod. That's my time and no bugs or no ill placed mind games are going to rob me of that.

So when I got out on the trail this morning I did run through a few bugs but somehow life seemed to acknowledge my will to push through and I didn't run through nearly the swarm of flying missles like I had the past few mornings. Who knows...maybe I killed most of them. Either way I am back on the trail and pushing through he challenge of pain, bugs and leaving those horrible excuses in the dust behind me.

The moral: When life gives you bugs, make bug juice and keep on keeping on.

Ripple On!!!

Three Rules For Ripple Success

Every once in a while I get someone who asks, "How do I implement Ripple into my life?" To be perfectly honest the question tends to always be asked by someone who holds a pretty heavy skepticism for the concept but somehow I've managed to pique their interest. You can see it in their eyes, they want to believe but their often cynically challenge brains won't quite let them see themself benefiting from a concept like Ripple.

As you can imagine I love the challenge of those conversations and could honestly have them for hours. However implementing Ripple into one's life can actually be boiled down into three easy rules. Follow these every day without fail and watch as the positive Ripples you create out there in the world won't somehow magically come back to you in some way shape or form.

Rule # 1 - Create at least one positive action for someone every day. Whether it be your co-worker who needs help with that project or the desperately disconnected guy standing behind you in line at the coffee shop. Do something for someone! Stay after work and help your teammate get their project done. Tell the cashier I've got this and whatever the gentleman behind me is having. Take one positive action every day to make an impact on someone else and soon the Ripples of your actions will wash back upon your shores.

Rule # 2 - Connect at least one person per day. Connecting is one of the most powerful things we can do as humans and is one of the top ways to live a Ripple centric life. The problem is in today's society we aren't very good at it so we have to get good at practicing it every day. So rule #2 is rather simple. Practice! Every day take the opportunity to connect with a complete stranger. Smile at them and bid them a good day. Open a door and comment on someone's bright eyes or poignant smile and watch them light up. Pick up a police officer or someone from the military's lunch order and go shake their hand and thank them for their service. Reconnect with someone from your past that you've lost touch with and tell them you miss them. Pick up the phone and call that first boss, that elementary school best friend, that high school teacher and tell them what they have meant to you and your life. The bottom line is we all have a plethora of people we can choose to connect or reconnect with on a daily basis so just go do it and watch how far those Ripples take you.

Rule # 3 - Take a step towards your goal every day. In order to create the great Ripples in our lives we must constantly be in a state of motion. What I mean is every single day we need to be taking action to further the goals and aspirations we hold for ourselves. That requires us to take steps every day to further our objective. Tell your friends, family, your business colleagues or a complete stranger about your dreams, your passions and your deepest desires and watch as the world rises up to help you take those steps towards achievement. Continual every day focus will insure you Ripple your way quicker to the achievement of whatever it is you want to accomplish in life. However as a famous quote by Lao-tzu says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

So there you have it...three simple, but I believe profound, rules for living a Ripple centric life. The real question is will you just read them and say to yourself, oh now that makes sense, or will you start following those rules for your life? As I challenge most people who come up to me and ask me about how to implement Ripple for their lives, all the rules in the world no matter how many or how few, don't make a bit of difference. You see unless you are truly committed to following through and creating your own Ripples out there in the world then these rules are meaningless.

So the real question becomes are these rules you can implement and live by? If the answer is yes then a world full of Ripples awaits!

Ripple On!!!