Last summer was my first season as a RiderCoach and the first couple classes we held were unique in that the students were many of our employees from our shop, Klock Werks. And many of these new employees came to us with little or no experience on or around motorcycles. Actually, many had never even thought about riding a motorcycle at all. Our Media Relations and Event Coordinator, Melissa, is one of those people. She came to us from an entirely different industry, and really didn’t have “learn to ride a motorcycle” on her to-do list. So this story that I’d like to share today is one about trusting that if a new challenge is put in front of you, it must be for a reason, and also finding the courage to travel down any road.

I’ve traveled many roads in my own life. Some smooth paved highways, some really windy mountain passes, some full of potholes, and some that I just should not have been on at all. But the roads that we’ve traveled are what we can look back on to find the courage to travel down the next new road placed in front of us. So if you’re afraid to get on a motorcycle for the first time, look back on your life. There is surely a road you happened upon that was rough, but you survived it. Find courage from that experience, and try new things! Melissa figured why not? Might as well try it. It’s an opportunity in front of me. So try she did. And PASSED!

Well, the twist to this story is that Melissa travels with me when I go on speaking assignments doing my ANY ROAD presentation, and we had an American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Women’s Conference scheduled in August, in Colorado. Early last summer I began teasing her that we were going to RIDE out to it. She would say, no, I can’t do that, and I would say, yes you can! It became kind of a funny joke until next thing you know Melissa is sitting on a 2004 Harley Davidson Ultra with her clothes in the saddlebags, ready to take off on this new adventure! She took the class in June, and we were headed to Colorado in August. Ha!

We rode to Colorado and back! A 1700 mile adventure for a woman that had never even thought about riding a motorcycle just one year earlier. Now that is walking through a door of opportunity and not looking back! Go girl! The lessons learned out on the road are always things that you can use in life. Melissa learned some things on that trip, as did I. New challenges (who knew the wind could be so intimidating?), new fears (I sure don’t want to drop this big bike!), new excitement (I’m really doing it!), new thoughts (the view from the motorcycle is different than a car!). And you’ll never forget that special trip that marks a time when you tried something you had never even thought about trying. Sometimes that is where the biggest blessing lie – in doing something we didn’t have “planned”. So I encourage you….try new things. And whether you’ve thought about riding or not, it’s one weekend of your life, WHY NOT give it a try? It might be a blessing in disguise.

Don’t be afraid to go where the road leads you!