7 Building Blocks of Life from Motorcycle Maintenance
Who knew the owner’s manual could teach you as much about your self and self care as it teaches about the bike?
Understanding the fundamentals of motorcycle maintenance enhances safety, performance and longevity while reducing costs. It also builds self confidence, awareness and independence.
7 Building Blocks of Life from Motorcycle Maintenance
- Self-worth. Routine maintenance, inspections and replacing parts proactively keeps your bike running in top condition. Using high quality and specialized cleaners keeps it looking good for a long time.Body, mind and soul are no different. They need regular care to function optimally and allow you to flourish. Caring for them respects who you are.
- Initiative. You learn by doing. Start with the routine things, like checking tires for wear, air pressure, oil level, chain tension and lubrication (if there’s a chain drive). Not only will your bikes perform better and last longer, they’re much safer. After all, they’re carrying precious cargo.Taking care of ourselves with healthy eating, positive thoughts, exercise and meditating forms a solid foundation on the rest of your personal and professional life flourishes.
- Simplicity. Other than a tire pressure gauge, the tools that come with your bike are all you need to get started. Motorcycle maintenance teaches you it’s easy to make things much more challenging and complex than they need be. Click to tweet quote. Often, when you look around, you find you’ve got more than you need to get the job done.
- Potential. Once you get rid of the thoughts that tell you you won’t succeed, you realize trying something new wasn’t so difficult after all. In fact, usually you want to learn more! Accomplishing something you thought was out of your league prepares you for the next challenge. You learn you’re capable of far more than you gave yourself credit for and are inspired to try new things. Fear of success can be just as paralyzing as fear of failure. If you can do the thing you thought was impossible, what else will be called to do?
- Self-Discovery. Basically, a bike is a piece of metal and other materials on two wheels. Yet so many people shrink away from even the simplest maintenance, thinking it’s beyond them. It’s all objective and rational, with no emotions to complicate things. While you may choose not to get too technical, you may surprise ourselves with how easy the basics are to understand.You don’t know what you’re capable until you’re put into a challenging situation. Too often, you’re tempted to give up before you start because you’ve convinced ourselves something can’t be done. Or you’ve been told you can’t do it. Think of the message that’s playing to your subconscious.
- Confidence. You don’t know what you don’t know. Hence, you get out on the road with no idea what could go wrong, nor would you be prepared if it did. Routine inspections confirm it’s in good repair, alert you to potential problems before they get out of hand and give you an idea of how to proceed if something goes wrong.Success starts with being open to trying new things and achieving results. Each success builds your confidence and carries the seeds for new growth.
- Awareness. Working on your bikes not only helps you understand how it works, it also reassures you that it’s been done right. Furthermore, it prepares you for dealing with mechanics on more complicated issues – and even sales people when you’re researching your next bike.When you’re continuously learning, you’re building up an arsenal of resources that you can draw on as the need arises. You’re also in a better position to be of service to others.
Before you go for your next ride, take a few moments and learn something new about your bike. You’ll be amazed at how empowering it is!
Author, writer, and student Liz Jansen combines her artistic mediums to create stories that inspire readers to embark on their own journey of self-discovery.