Ian Kirk

I had the pleasure last Friday, after an amazing Skydiving Thursday in Davis CA, to have the opportunity to go down hill mountain biking in Tahoe. Most people don't know that from the Redding area Tahoe is only a short 3 hour drive through some of the most amazing scenery there is in the world. A few phone calls and one book on tape and you are there in the high sierras ready for adventure.

So I had the most amazing experience that I thought I would share with you. On one of my trips up the mountain on the Gondola I rode up the mountain with a remarkable gentleman. I say remarkable in the respect that he was well traveled and focused his life around his passions. I had not yet been to the top of the mountain and he encourage me to follow him and give it a try.

Once at the top I informed him that I would like to follow him down the mountain, and he was a bit hesitant and asked me a few questions about my ability. Then he said OK just follow me.

Now you must understand that he starts pedaling as fast as I could petal at this first jump lip and so inside me I say to myself, "If that is the speed I have to go I'm going to have to get over my fear and trust that he has been down this path before and I am going to have to commit and follow his lead."

With his leadership I sailed off each and every jump on this amazing downhill, clearing jumps on a mountain bike that according to him were in the range of 10 to 25 feet from takeoff to transition. At one point I lost him and didn't know how fast to hit this next jump, so I rolled that one. My coach was around the corner waiting for me. After a few pointers I was once again right behind him hitting each jump with perfect speed and precision.

So what did I take away from this experience and why am I passing it on to you? Everyone needs a coach, a leader, or a mentor to follow, and when the student is ready the mentor appears. As I was doing things my first day on a downhill mountain bike that I never thought I would be doing, it was his belief in me that made me believe in myself. He took me from being interested in riding a bike down the hill to showing me that full commitment would allow me to experience something much better as long as I trusted him. Ask yourself a question in business or with those you do business with, "Are you interested or committed? Who are you mentoring and believing in to help them get over their fears? Are you coachable and will you trust that your mentor is showing you the pace at which you should pedal?