Lessons from a four (and three quarters) year old

Yesterday I was out on the driveway with Aiden. He had mastered riding his bike without training wheels, but only after getting a push to get going. We have a long, gravel, not-so-level driveway... it was time for him to figure out how to get himself going. So I gave him a few pointers, and a few more good pushes to get him going, then stood back and watched.

What did I observe? It's REALLY hard to keep your balance on a bike when you're leaned over the side staring at your feet!! He would put one foot up, and watch it as he pushed off a little and put the other foot up. The pedals would make it almost one rotation, then he would tip over and try again with the other foot. I watched this process a few times, then yelled "watch where you're going and quit staring at your feet!!"

Off he went!! He made it all of 10 feet and stopped... then proceeded to stare at his feet and go 2 feet at a time. Again, I watched for a few minutes, then yelled "Stop staring at your feet"...off he went!! That time it seemed to sink in.

And what did I learn? Life goes a lot more smoothly when you keep your focus on where you are headed, and don't get quite so caught up in what your feet are doing.

Focus on what you want to accomplish and who you want to be, and just know that as long as you are doing the things that need to be done, you will get there. As soon as you start getting caught up in the processes that make up your life (waking up early, the to-do list, the house work, the screaming kids) instead of focusing on the big picture and appreciating your life and accomplishing your goals, you lose your balance and the bike stops moving forward.

So look up, decide where you're going, and start pedaling!!