Go Ahead

Once upon a time in a faraway land called Victoria there lived an ageing marketing guru who was challenged one day by his comrades to pedal his bicycle over the more than 600 kilometre tortuous nine-day Great Victorian Bike Ride.

And so it came to pass that this foolish man did register, claim the free bike being given to registrants (ignoring his own marketing rule that you get what you pay for!) and commence training for the arduous event.

On the occasional Sunday, in the company of his friends, our misguided hero did do some cycling practice often for as much as a couple of hours or so, interrupted by a cup of coffee over which he and his friends did linger and tell great lies about their cycling prowess. It could be said that they were becoming better bike riders in their minds than in actuality. Remember:

Proper preparation prevents pretty poor performance!

And on several occasions they did take a day off work and rode for numerous hours in a quest to seek a restaurant that served fine food and even better wine, consuming two or more bottles of the latter. Amply reassured by their endeavours and made even bolder by the effects of the wine this group of tragics did believe that the bike ride held no fears.

And this story should record that your hero had several major tumbles from his bicycle so much so that he began to look like a battle-scarred veteran of many wars. Soon the team members of his business greeted him with, "Did you fall off today?" and, regrettably, his answer was too often "Yes."

Finally, the day off the Great bike ride arose and, along with 8,157 other people, your poor misguided fool crammed into a bus headed for the start at Port Fairy, many kilometres along the Victoria coast.

The organisers of the ride were cunning to say the least and lulled participants into a false sense of competence by asking them to pedal only 46 kilometres along billiard table flat land on the first day.

It was easy and when they reached their destination all they had to do was stand in interminable queues for far too few showers, toilets and meal serving points and pitch tents in which to rest their weary bodies.

Next day the ominous dawn sky should have telegraphed to stupid what was to come. But, if it did it was ignored.

Lulled into a sense of false security your correspondent started on the day's journey of 104 kms with the aim (unknown to him at the time) of achieving the sorest bum in town. That mission was accomplished rapidly and wearily he found a campsite, stood in the queues and contemplated the next day. That's when the hills were to begin and that's when other bike riders began dropping out like flies.

And when he contemplated those hills, that's when your hero thought about the chook and the pig. You see, when it comes to breakfast of bacon and eggs the hen is involved… but the pig is committed!

And so it was with this bike ride. One could either be involved… meaning giving up at the first sign of difficulty… or committed meaning facing the challenges and beating them.

From our hero's perspective there was only one thing to do and that was to be committed.

So despite the hills, the pain and the problems your hero made it… unlike the 300 or so people who dumped their bikes at Camperdown railway station and headed for home or the thousands who took the bus over subsequent difficult part of the route.

So, there's no need to bore you with the other 7 days of the ride because it was just more of the same--- including a 16 kms ride straight up to the highest point of the Otway Ranges.

But none of these challenges stopped the achievement of success because your poor demented soul was committed.

And as we go into the New Year that's the question we want to pose:

In 2005, are you going to be involved or committed?

You see if you want to achieve all of the things you dream about then you can't just be involved and do the easy things; you have to be committed and do the things that need to be done… whether easy or difficult. As the saying goes…

When the going gets tough the tough get going.

So when you're setting your goals early in the New Year pick some big goals, some bold goals, some tough goals and commit to them. If you're committed…

What the mind can conceive the heart can achieve!

Finally may I take this opportunity on behalf of all the team at the Business Growth Centre to wish you all the compliments of the season and a great committed New Year!

Yours sincerely

Winston, semi-exhausted but elated
sore bummed Bike Rider!

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