Wheels In Motion

Wheels: Encouragement, by Teresa Thomas-Carroll

Think of a child first learning to ride, her excitement tempered with a healthy amount of fear. We know that she’ll need lots of practice and cheering from the sidelines. We want the child to get a feel for what it’s like to ride solo, so we let her experience training wheels and zip down the sidewalk. The advice we give is about keeping in balance, staying safe, avoiding obstacles and focusing on her destination while checking for hazards. When the training wheels are off, we comfort her by sharing that everyone falls but with practice and safe riding it will happen less often. And each time she rides, she’ll have more confidence and fun.

To feel satisfied with our accomplishments, it helps to know when to put on the training wheels and when to go solo (but still with lots of encouragement).

Use the Mini-Reflection Exercise to notice what you need to ride your life with confidence.

Mini-Reflection Exercise

Continue to think of your career, or any of your life’s work as riding a bicycle.

Do you need training wheels (support) to help get you going? Alternatively, is it time to ride solo?

Do you know how and when to use your brakes? Do you need to apply brakes to anything now?

Is your bike tuned up? What needs fixing or attention?