The Tri Town Time: 1/1/24

Posted on 2 January 2024
By Antonio Gonzalez
Posted in the tri town times
0

This week: 2023 Reflections

Hi all,

Happy New Year! Here is your weekly Tri Town Times Newsletter:

Training thoughts and updates:

- Registration for the Burley Spudman triathlon opens at noon today. This big race located in a small town is one of the best races in the country. I raced the Spudman for the first time back in 2004, and that experience was so powerful and positive it changed the course of my life, resulting in me eventually opening a triathlon store. The race sells out every year, if you want to compete you should sign up today.

- Join Tri Town on Zwift: Club rides are Tuesday at 6am and Saturdays at 8am. Learn more here.

Shop Ops:

- We are closed today for the holiday. We open at 10am tomorrow.

- Flat tire and maintenance clinic tomorrow at 5:30pm. Register here.

Thought that struck a chord:

The first of the year is a great time for review and reflection. I like to say that when it comes to mistakes, I try to be original- I only want to make new mistakes, not old ones. That is why taking time for reflection is important. I need to spend time reviewing the day's (or year's) lessons, analyze them, ponder them, toss the irrelevant ones and hold the important ones close in my mind.

Here are a few of my personal reflections of 2024, in no particular order, that I hope to hold close as I venture into 2024. I hope they help and guide you into the New Year as well:

Love drives commitment. Few athletes find success without being deeply commitment for an extended period of time. Time and commitment are the filter for success. You must love what you're doing if you're going to stick with it for a long time. A 20 hour training week or an 80 hour work week is not so hard if you love every minute of it. It is literally heaven if you'd rather be nowhere else. Remember that 'amateur' comes from the Latin word 'amare', which means to love. To do things for the love of it. See post on The 90% Training Routine.
Maintain a "Beginners Mind". Your senses are in overdrive when learning a new skill. As you gain experience, strive to maintain this sharpened awareness, to never take things for granted, and question and review every method. The beginner's mentality is fun, exciting and playful. See post on The Intuitive Wisdom of Children.
Embrace constraints. Many people never start because they feel they need *something* before they can begin. This mentality is often just an excuse to not take action, so they continue procrastinating. Constraints can be helpful and inspire creative problem solving. See post on The Paradox of Grandpa's Toolbox.
Seeking perfection prevents action. Your form, technique and game does not need to be perfect, especially in the beginning. Hemingway once said, "The first draft of anything is shit." In sport, business, and life, constantly re-create, edit, and improve what you have. It's not about being perfect the first time. Procrastination often hides behind a veil of perfection.
Hold yourself to the highest standard. No coach, athlete, friend, family member, or customer should expect more of you than you expect of yourself. Never compare yourself to others, only compare yourself to yourself. See post on The Creator's Curse.
Fail fast and move on. You must become comfortable with failing, learn the lesson, and moving on quickly. Remember Thomas Edison, he was famously productive in his career, filing over 1,000 patents in his lifetime. Despite his success, he was even more successful at failing. He once said: "I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Be original when it comes to mistakes- only make new ones. You only lose if you make the same mistakes over and over again. See post On The Hidden Value of Failure.
Nail the basics. As you grow and develop, it is easy and typical to forget the basics and move onto more advance aspects of your craft. The greats never stop working the basics, and they build their craft from the ground up. See post on The Value of Simplicity .
Gladly pay the tax. There is a significant price to be paid in order to be successful in any field. Remember Seneca who once said, "I pay the taxes of life gladly." He's not talking about government taxes, he's talking about the price you must pay to do anything special. Remember, it's suppose to be hard, that is what makes it memorable and fun. See post on Adversity as a Path to Happiness.

Have a great week,

Antonio Gonzalez

Tri Town Bicycles

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