What are you doing when you feel the most you? I mean utterly and entirely YOU—completely fulfilled, content, and exhilarated all at the same time? What are you doing when you think you couldn’t possibly love life any more than in that moment?
I have several loves that are big parts of me being me: motorcycling, travel, outdoor pursuits like camping and hiking, and photography. All of those things add up in various amounts to full Val.
But the part of Val that dominates the equation? The time when I feel the most me? That happens when I’m riding.
When I’ve been off the bike for a while things begin to feel disconnected. It’s almost imperceptible in the first few days but I start to feel frustrated. I get agitated. Eventually I’ll reach a tipping point. The problem is clear. So is the solution. I need to ride.
Then I’m back in the saddle and everything resets. Everything feels right with the world again. I feel comfortable in my skin once more. There’s a reason we motorcyclists call it throttle therapy. The feeling is extraordinary—a place of pure joy. That’s why I couldn’t give up riding even after being nearly killed by an inattentive driver.
Does that disconnect happen when I’m missing time with my other passions? Yes. Most definitely. But not nearly as much.
The beauty of my particular loves is that they aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, when they’re all blended, magic happens. It’s an apex of empowerment and freedom. It’s the mental place that helps reinvigorate my priorities and enables me to focus on decisions that further my beloved pursuits. In that place, I can step outside of the unimportant noise and distractions. I can tune out the things that make life less valuable. I can concentrate on the things that make my life worth living to the fullest.
It’s clarity. What follows are decisions that get me more of what I love. The most me I can be. The bonus? When you’re the most you, you have the space to be the most to the other people in your life. Everyone wins.
So what are your passions? When do you feel the most you?
Interesting. I don’t really have any passions. Maybe when I’m hanging out with my kids but I don’t have anything that speaks to me like you speak about your riding. I work, I eat, I parent, and I sleep. Making sure the kids have a roof over their head, food to eat, and a decent upbringing is pretty much my ‘why’ in life.
Thanks for sharing, Jack. A passion doesn’t have to be something super-adventurous. Raising a family can certainly make your heart swell. One of my favorite moments in life was this simple day. But as life goes, things shift and move, especially when kids are involved. Our passions move with life and we discover things that wouldn’t have grabbed us at different stages and circumstances in life.
Parenting is a big job and it sounds like you’re giving it all you’ve got. That’s admirable. Cheers!