So I learned how to ride a bike this weekend

[ZCP]

I'm not young. Not in grade school. This weekend, I rode a bike for the first time.

Growing up, I lived on a gravel road in the country with no one to go see. By the time another kid moved into the area and the road got paved, I had a go-cart. It was faster and more fun. In this, I never learned how to ride a bike.

For the last 35 years, I thought I had to have training wheels to learn how to ride a bike. That is how I had seen it done. That was what I thought was the way. Several times, I had looked for 'adult size' training wheels. Each time I didn't really like the design. Mostly I was just afraid.

So last month, I was in Phoenix meeting up with some fastlaners ....... we were standing in the front yard of one of their houses looking at some fancy cars, when some kids went by on bikes. One of them was a smaller bike with no pedals. 'What the hell is that?', I asked. One of the fastlaners there just happens to own a bike company. 'That is how kids learn now. No training wheels. Just balance and go. They learn much faster'.

Wow. Light bulb.

'So I just grab an adult bike and lower the seat and walk?'. 'Yep.'

Soon after I got back, I relayed the story to one of my admins. She brought in two old beach cruisers for me. I picked them up from the office a week ago Saturday and got to work. Ride down to the park on my big yellow beach cruiser with the little white basket while wearing my little helmet. Get made fun of by the neighborhood kids and get chased by dogs. Should be fun.

I didn't get to ride everyday, but a week later, I wobbily managed to stay upright and make it up the hill on my own while my neighbors cheered me on. Wow. So awesome!!

While riding through the neighborhood yesterday with my new found skill, it hit me:

HOW MANY STUPID a$$ MENTAL LIMITATIONS ARE HOLDING YOU BACK???!!!

What if it is simpler than you think?
How many things in life are you missing out on because you aren't looking outside your own limited mind for answers?
Are there myths / dogmas / old wive's tales that are keeping you in place?
Is there something you should just GO GET DONE?

What if YOU are really all that is holding you back?

Today I am in the office trying to put this newfound wisdom into action. Thought I would give back for a minute. Let this get you moving.

One Week Challenge: get something done you didn't think possible

Chop, F*cking, chop!

 

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[ZCP]

If I can do it ... You can do it!

 

[ZCP]

See a lot of to do list items ....... no, let's go bigger than that!

CHALLENGE: do something you NEVER thought you'd be able to do

Something you had given up on... assumed you would never do.
Starting a band. Climbing a mountain. Quitting smoking. Going to an opera. Painting a landscape. Learning to speak Russian. Calling your competitor and offering to buy them. Putting your business up for sale. Learn to surf. Fly a plane.

Something you put artificial mental barriers around.
I'm too old. I'm too slow. Irish people don't do that (@Andy Black ). I don't have time. I have kids. People will make fun of me.

What you got??

 

[million$$$smile]

How many things in life are you missing out on because you aren't looking outside your own limited mind for answers?

Congratulations @ZCP !!

You are a rock star.

To go out and learn to ride, especially on your own.
It seems like the status quo anymore is to have to join a group of likeminded individuals that all need to learn the same thing so that we feel more "comfortable" and accepted.

And someone creates a 'system' so that it can be sold as the official way to learn to ride a bike, or fly an airplane, or drive a car. Who would ever try it on their own?

Except maybe a little kid that didn't know better.

And then take the fact that for years and years, the way we learned to ride a bike was to use training wheels. Everyone thought that was the way to learn-

-because thats the ways it was always done.

Maybe some little kid's parents couldn't afford training wheels, but that little guy wanted it so bad that it didn't stop him from learnin'. So he learned to ride without the wheels.

@ZCP is that little kid all grown up.

Kudos to ya Bro,

Rep+

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

 

[Walter Hay]

This brilliant thread is one of the best I have seen in a long time.

You might think you can't do it, but you don't know you can't do it until you try, and fail.

Don't stop there. Try again...... and again, but change your mindset from I can't, to can I?

And from there to I am determined to do it even if I lose some skin in the process.

Walter

 

[Andy Black]

See a lot of to do list items ....... no, let's go bigger than that!

CHALLENGE: do something you NEVER thought you'd be able to do

Something you had given up on... assumed you would never do.
Starting a band. Climbing a mountain. Quitting smoking. Going to an opera. Painting a landscape. Learning to speak Russian. Calling your competitor and offering to buy them. Putting your business up for sale. Learn to surf. Fly a plane.

Something you put artificial mental barriers around.
I'm too old. I'm too slow. Irish people don't do that (@Andy Black ). I don't have time. I have kids. People will make fun of me.

What you got??

Ha. Thanks for the tag and making me read this great thread.

I love the photo of you riding the bike, and thanks for the great story.

Well done on riding now... it must feel amazing. Maybe build up to going for a Sunday morning run soon with some buddies? It’s a great day out.


I totally agree with @million$$$smile. The best bit is you just did it (once you realised it was something you could just do). No accountability group or Udemy course needed first.

It’s amazing what happens when we realise we can just go do it and don’t *need* all that stuff we’ve been led to believe we need.


Chop chop. Haha... it’s your tagline now.


I can’t think of things I want to do that I haven’t though? I don’t have a bucket list or anything like that. I’m happy chipping away everyday, and enjoying the process and journey.

Hmmm... What do Irish (English actually) people think they can’t do?

 

[CareCPA]

Calling your competitor and offering to buy them.

Tried this last week.

Saw a tax prep business for sale online. Sad story - the guy had passed away at the end of last year, and the wife keeps getting calls and emails, even though she told everyone he passed away. So we talked for a while, and she said she would send the people my way since most of them were remote clients anyway.

It's late in the season, so I don't have high hopes, but it was definitely something I've never done, and didn't expect to for a long time.

 

[JordanK]

The beginning. Thanks guys

 

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[CareCPA]

One Week Challenge: get something done you didn't think possible

Chop, F*cking, chop!

We're getting the to-do list done this week.
By the end of the week, no client will be waiting on information from us. We will have everything as far as we can take it, with questions out to our clients.

**side note - I think as a service business we worry about finishing our to-do list. What if more work doesn't come in and we're sitting around twiddling our thumbs? But that's ridiculous (*unfounded limitation*). Even starting out, we didn't have that problem, and we're doing our current clients a disservice by letting their work sit on our list for too long. No more, we're getting this list finished.

 

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[ZF Lee]

I'm not young. Not in grade school. This weekend, I rode a bike for the first time.

Growing up, I lived on a gravel road in the country with no one to go see. By the time another kid moved into the area and the road got paved, I had a go-cart. It was faster and more fun. In this, I never learned how to ride a bike.

For the last 35 years, I thought I had to have training wheels to learn how to ride a bike. That is how I had seen it done. That was what I thought was the way. Several times, I had looked for 'adult size' training wheels. Each time I didn't really like the design. Mostly I was just afraid.

So last month, I was in Phoenix meeting up with some fastlaners ....... we were standing in the front yard of one of their houses looking at some fancy cars, when some kids went by on bikes. One of them was a smaller bike with no pedals. 'What the hell is that?', I asked. One of the fastlaners there just happens to own a bike company. 'That is how kids learn now. No training wheels. Just balance and go. They learn much faster'.

Wow. Light bulb.

'So I just grab an adult bike and lower the seat and walk?'. 'Yep.'

Soon after I got back, I relayed the story to one of my admins. She brought in two old beach cruisers for me. I picked them up from the office a week ago Saturday and got to work. Ride down to the park on my big yellow beach cruiser with the little white basket while wearing my little helmet. Get made fun of by the neighborhood kids and get chased by dogs. Should be fun.

I didn't get to ride everyday, but a week later, I wobbily managed to stay upright and make it up the hill on my own while my neighbors cheered me on. Wow. So awesome!!

While riding through the neighborhood yesterday with my new found skill, it hit me:

HOW MANY STUPID a$$ MENTAL LIMITATIONS ARE HOLDING YOU BACK???!!!

What if it is simpler than you think?
How many things in life are you missing out on because you aren't looking outside your own limited mind for answers?
Are there myths / dogmas / old wive's tales that are keeping you in place?
Is there something you should just GO GET DONE?

What if YOU are really all that is holding you back?

Today I am in the office trying to put this newfound wisdom into action. Thought I would give back for a minute. Let this get you moving.

One Week Challenge: get something done you didn't think possible

Chop, F*cking, chop!

Congrats!

Coincidentally, I was just spinning an angle on one of my copywriting client's emails on taking the FIRST step, with the bicycle analogy....

I myself learned how to ride a bike at the grand age of 17.

And swimming at 18.

And meeting strangers comfortably at 19.

Also earned my first dollar at 19 (Upwork and Facebook reselling).

This week's challenge is simple: Create great emails for my clients in a few hours.

Which is not easy, but not impossible.

I have a black book of copywriting angles to pick from.

I also have a swipe file, ready to turn old trash to new sales promotions.

On the bicycle achievement, I'm not sure when exactly my body stopped rebelling against myself.

After a whole week of wobbling and tripping around, in full view of kids 6-9 years younger than me, it just clicked like Merlin's fingers.

Cycling up inclines are still a bit tiring though.

 

[Overdrive]

I'm not young. Not in grade school. This weekend, I rode a bike for the first time.

Growing up, I lived on a gravel road in the country with no one to go see. By the time another kid moved into the area and the road got paved, I had a go-cart. It was faster and more fun. In this, I never learned how to ride a bike.

For the last 35 years, I thought I had to have training wheels to learn how to ride a bike. That is how I had seen it done. That was what I thought was the way. Several times, I had looked for 'adult size' training wheels. Each time I didn't really like the design. Mostly I was just afraid.

So last month, I was in Phoenix meeting up with some fastlaners ....... we were standing in the front yard of one of their houses looking at some fancy cars, when some kids went by on bikes. One of them was a smaller bike with no pedals. 'What the hell is that?', I asked. One of the fastlaners there just happens to own a bike company. 'That is how kids learn now. No training wheels. Just balance and go. They learn much faster'.

Wow. Light bulb.

'So I just grab an adult bike and lower the seat and walk?'. 'Yep.'

Soon after I got back, I relayed the story to one of my admins. She brought in two old beach cruisers for me. I picked them up from the office a week ago Saturday and got to work. Ride down to the park on my big yellow beach cruiser with the little white basket while wearing my little helmet. Get made fun of by the neighborhood kids and get chased by dogs. Should be fun.

I didn't get to ride everyday, but a week later, I wobbily managed to stay upright and make it up the hill on my own while my neighbors cheered me on. Wow. So awesome!!

While riding through the neighborhood yesterday with my new found skill, it hit me:

HOW MANY STUPID a$$ MENTAL LIMITATIONS ARE HOLDING YOU BACK???!!!

What if it is simpler than you think?
How many things in life are you missing out on because you aren't looking outside your own limited mind for answers?
Are there myths / dogmas / old wive's tales that are keeping you in place?
Is there something you should just GO GET DONE?

What if YOU are really all that is holding you back?

Today I am in the office trying to put this newfound wisdom into action. Thought I would give back for a minute. Let this get you moving.

One Week Challenge: get something done you didn't think possible

Chop, F*cking, chop!

ZCP, thanks for a great post. Being an avid cyclist myself since I'm five, your message really resonated with me deeply. I remember when I was five my dad bought my first bicycle for me, in fact he took me along to the shop to buy it. At first I was using the training wheels until I was comfortable enough to go anywhere on it and having lots of fun. But pretty soon my dad said it's time to take off the training wheels, and I said "no no no, I'm having so much fun now, there's no need to take them off. Let me just continue riding this way." But he took them off anyway despite my protestations which were grounded in fear of falling, and after a wobbly start I never looked back.

Now 40+ years later I'm trying to do the same with my life, trying to leave the slowlane (the ultimate comfort zone) and move to the fastlane. It's the exact same principle as learning to ride a bike, only instead of fear of falling, I now have fear of failing. I should have learned this lesson when I was five. Thanks for this poignant reminder.

Edit: It's also a great metaphor for the importance of having a mentor in your life who can help you move outside your comfort zone (for my cycling endeavors as a kid it was my dad).

 

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[JordanK]

Reading this post makes me realize that I need to take the plunge (pun intended) and learn how to swim properly and confidently. Been putting it off for way too long.

 

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[ZCP]

Tried this last week.

Saw a tax prep business for sale online. Sad story - the guy had passed away at the end of last year, and the wife keeps getting calls and emails, even though she told everyone he passed away. So we talked for a while, and she said she would send the people my way since most of them were remote clients anyway.

It's late in the season, so I don't have high hopes, but it was definitely something I've never done, and didn't expect to for a long time.

There are an amazing amount of businesses in this same spot. Especially service businesses. We have a standing offer with a bunch of engineers to 'buy their phone number' when they are ready. They can even pick and choose what to keep. Many do what she did and just pass people along. Keep hunting for those opportunities!

 

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[MTEE1985]

Bump.

Where does everybody stand?
I went 1/2. Have already done the 1 thing I didn’t do last week.

This weeks goal is an intro for @Scot that is way overdue on my end and as small as it is, I’m having a hell of time tracking my guy down.

I would strongly encourage you all to reach out to somebody who you think is unreachable. Call them, DM them, email them. You’d be surprised how receptive people will be to a genuine heartfelt message and the ensuing conversations that can result.

 

[andrewsyc]

Freedom from embarrassment is one of the best things you can have, quoting Scott Adams:

“A lack of fear of embarrassment is what allows one to be proactive. It’s what makes a person take on challenges that others write off as too risky. It’s what makes you take the first step before you know what the second step is. I’m not a fan of physical risks, but if you can’t handle the risk of embarrassment, rejection, and failure, you need to learn how, and studies suggest that is indeed a learnable skill”

Excerpt From: Adams, Scott. “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life.”

A couple years ago I knew a guy around 40 that was getting swimming lessons at the local club. I talked to him in the Sauna about it, encouraged him and said that was good.
If some people don't complete something past a certain age they likely won't do it because it's too socially taboo. Like in this instance, "You don't know how to ride a bike!"
If people in your immediate circle mock you for trying something new or learning something most people learn in childhood, maybe it's time to replace them.

 

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[AgainstAllOdds]

You calling me old?
What is your challenge for the week?

Sorry. The clip above cut off too early. Here's more of what I was thinking of when I saw your post.

Keep kicking a$$ @ZCP.

 

[ZF Lee]

Get it done! Chop Chop!

Done today!

After my client gave some feedback on how some of my past emails needed 100% focus on ONE BIG IDEA or EXAMPLE, I got to work.

I saw my swipe file of emails pilling up, as well as my own email account...

1. Picked some emails of similar themes and desired angle...
2. And 'cannibalized' them.
3. Removed the non-relevant content...
4. And replaced them with my client's industry-specific messages and content.

I figured out that other copywriters would organize their copywriting a lot more better than I do.

On a few emails, I saw certain patterns like:

First sentence: Big Idea

2nd sentence: Explanation

3rd sentence: Short example

4th sentence: Affirmative statement

A lot more patterns I saw though. Not just this one.

Sure enough, the resulting emails sounded a lot more better and convincing than my earlier ranty emails.

Actually done it in ONE hour.

Not even a few.

Will see if my client will like it...

 

[ZCP]

Reading this post makes me realize that I need to take the plunge (pun intended) and learn how to swim properly and confidently. Been putting it off for way too long.

Get it done this week! Go to lessons. Jump in a pool. Hire an instructor.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I learned how to swim this year (I'm in my 50s). As opposed to 'not drown'.

It was horribly challenging. I literally missed getting a marriage proposal because when he asked to see me on Valentine's Day, I said I couldn't, I had a swimming lesson (don't worry, he asked 2 days later).

I almost threw up from fear. I cried on the way home. But I had Unbreakable Rules: No crying in the pool, I had to participate, and I couldn't quit.

Since then, I've held to those rules in business. It's been interesting, especially that part about not crying in the pool. I no longer complain on social media, I pick up the phone more, I push out more content without fretting over things like spelling or hurt feelings. I've created and stuck with a minimum daily value list.

There's definitely a crossover in behavior and habits. And, now I swim twice a month at the pool. Truly swimming - me!

 

[MTEE1985]

Damn, cuts me deep. I got a Skype invite from one of the forums most respected members a week ago and I finally reached out yesterday. Embarrassing.

I’ve been thinking this forum could use a challenge thread as many new forum members seem to desperately need guidance and accountability. It’s like “ZCP’s Boot Camp” with achievable challenges that will build massive momentum. Best contributor I could think of to facilitate it.

 

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[GPM]

ABT

Always be trying.

Way to go @ZCP

Old fart riding with the kids! We are the only ones who ever really tell ourselves that it can't be done. Look at all the awesome stuff people do because they never listen to themselves being negative.

I eat at Mucho Burrito sometimes with my wife. They have 2 tv's on the wall playing something called "Chive TV". It is essentially just little clips of people doing amazing things. None of those people listened to negativity and just went for it over and over until they could. That is how life needs to be lived!

 

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[Sheens]

Such a great thread, thank you @ZCP!

You know it's special when it is omnipresent in your mind and next to the other little booming voice of ZCP asking what 3 things you can do right now or are stopping you!

My challenge this week was to become the actual 'cut guy' for the reclaimed wood siding used on our house. Today, I put on my tool belt and DID IT!

This is a skill I have always wanted and will now continue to use and develop. Had a lesson from my love on how "the saw will not hesitate to cut off your hand" and off I went. No blood and no bad cuts on the siding for day one.

 

[ZCP]

It's the exact same principle as learning to ride a bike, only instead of fear of falling, I now have fear of failing. I should have learned this lesson when I was five. Thanks for this poignant reminder.
Edit: It's also a great metaphor for the importance of having a mentor in your life who can help you move outside your comfort zone (for my cycling endeavors as a kid it was my dad).

Agree 100%

So what is your challenge for the week?

 

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[CareCPA]

That's aggressive for tax season! What is your normal queue time? Do the clients care if it is less this time of year?

We haven't tracked our queue time (it's on the list for next year). Some are getting antsy, some don't really care (especially if they owe money).

But it's not all tax returns. There are things that have been on the "when I have time" list for months, but they should have been done by now.

 

[Veloce Grey]

Hmmm... What do Irish (English actually) people think they can’t do?

I find tanning, sobriety and not volcanically exploding over small disputes tend to be common issues.

 

[Walter Hay]

I find tanning, sobriety and not volcanically exploding over small disputes tend to be common issues.

I don't know about the other issues, but the moment the sun peeps through the clouds you will find shirtless men all over the country.

Whether or not it results in a tan or just a burn, I am not sure.

Walter

 

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[ZCP]

maybe @Ericito could do the 'find a kitchen like @Timmy1990' is doing challenge?
one week = change your life!

 

[ZCP]

My challenge this week was to become the actual 'cut guy' for the reclaimed wood siding used on our house. Today, I put on my tool belt and DID IT!

next challenge?

 

[amp0193]

Something you had given up on... assumed you would never do.
What you got??

I know what it is for me:

Being a proficient public speaker. I'd like to be @Gary good. Someone who you could just sit and listen to talk endlessly. Being the person who commands the room.

I've always just assumed that it's not in me. Why? I don't know! There aren't any reasons really. Only that "i'm not like those other guys".

But as my team grows, and I see the future where I'm the CEO of a 40 person organization... it's a skill that has to be in place.

I just put Toastmasters in my calendar for Monday the 22nd.