I am just finishing up a book that had been recommended to me by a couple of people. Talent is Overrated is an in depth look at what exactly fuels great performance in any field and challenges the myth of the “natural talent”. Time and again, when you look at story behind the performance you find that even those who were supposedly blessed with “talent” worked hard to achieve those results.
The take home message from the book is that “lack of talent” is usually not the real issue. Instead, the author of the book looks at the traits shared by great performers and identifies several things that, if applied, can help anyone achieve greater performance in anything.
Here are a few of the things that really stood out for me:
- Deliberate Practice: Great performers all engage in a lot of “deliberate practice”. Deliberate practice is a term coined by the author to distinguish it from the mindless activities that usually define “practice” for most people. For practice to be deliberate you have to identify specific things that you are trying to work on and be mindful of how you are doing. Read more…
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This is a tricky subject because if you are not seeing good results from your current program you should think about what is missing but I’ve recently realized that the people I work with break down into two categories. The first group doesn’t question what I ask them to do. They trust that whatever program they are on is the best one for them and they work as hard as they can on it.
The second group is always wondering if there is something missing from their program. They tend to wonder if there is enough core training, or if they need to be doing a different exercise for their lower body or any one of a dozen other “concerns”. While they work hard you can tell that there is always a question in the back of their mind about what they might be missing.
In the facility these are the people who are always telling me about a new article they read in a magazine or an exercise they saw on the internet. They want to know if we can incorporate it into their program and sometimes I oblige – until they are repeating the process every few weeks. It seems like no matter what we are doing with their program they are busy worrying about what is missing.
Online these are the people who order one of my program and then send me an email asking how they can “incorporate” other workouts into it. Read more…
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I was just getting my bike ready for the Ranchstyle event and I started to wonder how many of my blog readers wrench on their own bikes. Personally, I’m a fully trained bike mechanic and know how to do pretty much everything from building wheels to overhauling forks. I worked for several years as a part and full time bike mechanic and still really enjoy wrenching on my own bike.
These days I’m a bit busier than I was back then and so I’m glad I’ve found a good mechanic to help me out with the bigger jobs. However, I still keep my own bikes up and running, giving them tune ups and changing out parts. Tuning a derailer and keeping your wheels true are some basic skills that help keep your bike running well and help avoid breakdowns on the trail.
Personally, I like to know how to work on my own bike for 2 reasons:
#1 – I hate to wait to get stuff done. I’m pretty impatient when it comes to my bike. I’m probably planning on riding tomorrow and if I need something basic done I don’t want to have to take my bike to the shop, drop it off and wait for it to get done.
#2 – I don’t trust many people to make sure my bike works right. I ride hard and if my bike failed on me for some reason it could spell disaster. I want to know that my bolts are tight, the spokes are tensioned and the bike is set up right, not take somebody’s word for it. I guess I have trust issues…
So, how about you? Do you know how to work on your bike? If so, do you know the basics or do you also know some more advanced mechanic skills? Why do you like to work on your bike? Or, if you don’t know how to do anything, what are your thoughts?
-James Wilson-
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I bought my daughter Shilo one of those Strider bikes, the ones without the pedals. She just turned 5 and never showed much interest in riding herself. She loves bikes and knows that I ride but after getting dumped a couple times by her bike with training wheels she was a little spooked.
However, something inspired me to get her a new bike without the pedals on my recent trip to Bootleg Canyon. I’m not sure exactly what got me thinking about it but I was determined to buy one when I got back. When I get home I find the newest issue of Decline Magazine with a whole section dedicated to grom gear.
We went online, found a pink bike and ordered it. A few days later it showed up and we promptly stickered it up good. The next day she went for her first ride on it and she has ridden it every day since. Here are some pics and vids from her adventures:
Shilo showing off her new bike
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Time for another Decline Magazine sponsored giveaway. Post a comment with your answer to the following question to be entered. Winner will be announced on Tuesday and will get their choice of schwag in the box.
Who makes the best pads and what do you typically wear (just knee pads, elbow and knee, full armor, etc.)?
-James Wilson-
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