I am sure there are several people who can inspire you in your life. The whole concept of inspiration is a wonderful thing.
Defined by Merriam-Webster.com:
inspiration – in·spi·ra·tion noun \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən, -(ˌ)spi-\
Well one of my fellow bloggers, who I happen to follow on WordPress is Lesley Carter. Her blog is called Bucket List Publications. Her desire: to visit 30 countries by the time she turned 30. A quick summary of what she is doing can be found here.
It is awesome to see someone chasing their dreams. She is currently trying to win a contest. Please visit this page for the Biggest Baddest Bucket List Contest and vote for her! You just need to tweet (post it to facebook, or whatever) it to vote for her. I did my voting. When someone inspires you to follow your dreams, it is hard not to try to help them achieve their dreams.
What is my dream? Well, having a family is a work in progress. I used to want to race cars, but that is so expensive. So I toned it down. I really did not have a dream for years, now I do. So what is my dream? To race mountain bikes. I do not even have to turn pro to achieve that dream. There is a local series here in Texas that I can participate in. I just really enjoy cycling, so to race mountain bikes would be just awesome.
In order to be somewhat competitive, as with any sport, equipment is key. My desired equipment is a Trek Superfly Comp.
That bike is about $3,700. It is pricey, but it is a good split between the low end and the high end, right in the middle. I am dead serious about being a competitive racer. I do not expect to turn pro, but I do like to see how I stack up against other people. I love being out in nature and in the woods, so mountain biking only makes sense. I have no desire to road race. To me, it actually feels a bit weird being on a road bike now. Road bikes were my forte a while back, but mountain is just so fun. I like the constant variations in terrain and elevation. Road is just long and straight, especially here in Texas!
I hope to achieve the dream of winning a mountain bike race. I think it would be amazing to do so. Even if it is a Cat 3 race, to win would be an amazing high. However, I would honestly be quite happy with a top 10 finish!
I hope to be in the middle of the field my first year out. My first time racing I finished towards the end of the field. It does not help that I had a flat about 10-minutes into the first lap (I also was racing one of the heaviest mountain bikes in production that year). That flat cost me 10-minutes according to my computer. Those 10-minutes would have only granted me 3 places (42nd instead of 45th out of 56), but I also believe the mental side is what hurt me as well. Not to mention being caught up in slower traffic! Despite all that was against me that day, I still had a complete blast!
It is always good to step back and analyze what you really want out of life. Do not focus on the material things, but the simple desires that will make you feel that your life was great to live. I have played baseball, soccer, basketball, I even played music in high school. All of these were competitive. In sports you play to win, in music, your competition is the other musicians in your band. You compete for “chair” positions. First chair is the best player, and it goes down the line. Then during national (or regional) band competitions, you compete against other bands to see who the best is. So the competitive spirit is inside of me.
Back on topic, racing and experiencing all the people associated with it would be great. I have always been an active person, but I miss the competition. I have lived in Texas for years, but I have seen so little of it. This would give me a chance to meet new people and go to new places. Of course, having the good equipment would help quite a bit in my case.
What about you? What is your dream?
Trekridermark 