¡Buenos días desde Amsterdam!
How's it going? I'm doing well and amped on lots of recent opportunities to ride!
Already since Saturday, I've been back from Friedrichshafen and another successful Eurobike. I was traveling with Guy & Rei + our friend Sjors from pr.co. Already tomorrow morning I'm heading back out with Sjors , Lian from Shift & my homie Josh (who's also doing Trans Pyrenees next month) to the Bohemian Border Bash in the Czech Republic.
Later this month is Road Worlds in Yorkshire to which I'll be riding with former PROs Bram Tankink, Leontiel van Morsel along with a great group of cyclists organized by the Dutch Lottery and Dutch Cycling Federation (KNWU) as a part of our project supporting the lottery's sponsorship of the KNWU.
This also means I'll miss another LtD Gravel Raid but both Stan from Snobici and Rei will join in my stead. Beyond all that, track & cross seasons are closing in quick! I've always loved to raced but, like Laurens' talks about below, I never had that many wins.
On that note, whereas cycling may seem to come easy for me and I've been doing it for ages: I don't have a trophy chest. Similarly, I've been trying to up my guitar & singing game over the past few years, ever so slowly and though, I by no means really suck at cycling or singing, this article about how to shed perfectionism and the desire to be great at everything by ‘sucking at something’ did catch my eye.
Here's the quick recap:
- 👣Consider an alternative path - long story short: there's more than one way to skin a cat. Don't beat yourself up so much.
- 🤷At what do you want to suck? - playing guitar, much like cycling, for me can be what I love doing the most, yet, also the thing where I am humbled and most uncomfortable and yet all the while what makes me happiest.
- 😅Get over the discomfort - simply busting out of your comfort zone. Its awesome every time you do it. Nail it or fail it, you'll still be glad you tried.
- 💯And then get over perfectionism - perfection is the enemy of done.
- 😤 Understand the two different types of striving: There's normal striving and there's abnormal striving. Guess which one is better for you ; )
- 💬Change the conversation: a question to ask when you’re getting to know someone is, “What do you suck at?”. No joke.
- 💡 Embrace leisure and being unproductive - Just stop being productive. Same idea with the why everyone should write article below. The light goes on when you unplug.
- ⚠️ How to suck in situations that matter - “It's really hard to accept our mistakes and our less-than-perfection in the places where it matters. Family, partnership, work, friendship, community, service to others. We're gonna fall short sometimes. So, the idea is that if you have a practice of sucking at something, and you’re honest about it, and you accept it, and you turn off the critic in your head. Those things where the stakes are really high, I would never call for that.” - Karen Rinaldi
- ✅ Suck at something, not at everything - "You have to be good at the stuff that you do, but you're gonna screw up. It's only about how you fix it and how you address it."
Hopefully by even trying, knowing that you'll suck, you'll keep going and feel 2 legit 2 quit. ; )
As always, thank you for reading!
with appreciation,
Jon
p.s.
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Cycling
Detour Collection | a collaboration with Open Cycle & Ass Savers & Gramm
Podia, Open Cycle, Ass Savers & Gramm Bags announced this very cool project last week week at Eurobike. All my bikes are steel and an OPEN would certainly finally convince me ride carbon. Especially this setup!
Athletes Unfiltered: Laurens ten Dam
“I only won two races in my career and I had a 16-year career, so that would be a shit career if it was about winning for me.” Many cycling fans might be surprised to hear that from Larens ten Dam. In his long career, he finished 9th the Tour de France and stood on more than his fair share of podiums.
But he also carried bottles, worked more in support of slightly faster riders, and got hit by a few cars.
Throughout it all, he realized that the only certainty in pro cycling is that everything will continue to change – and he credits his longevity to his ability to adapt.
A further challenge - Augustus Farmer
The last year has been the challenge of his lifetime. Last month Gus got back into taking photos at races and restarted with a very special one.
Keep it up, Gus!
Startups
Write for your audience: nobody gives a $#!% about your brand
Brandon Andersen on why brands that barely mention themselves are so successful.
The SoulCycle Boycott Is Having an Impact
Most boycotts fail. Why does this one seem to be working?
spoiler alert: the company's association with Trump.
Flow State
Every morning, two hours of music perfect for working. I'm like 3 days in and all about it.
Sales
Stop controlling, start creating
Consistency of effort creates coherence of results.
on that note, here is how to build—and manage—a self-improving team.
Why Everyone Should Write
Everyone should write. You know why? Because everyone is full of ideas they’re not aware of. You don’t talk about these ideas, even in your own head, because you’ve never put them into words.
How To Deliver A Strong Sales Pitch When You're Not Expecting It
If you work in sales or start your own business, you’ll inevitably have to give an impromptu pitch.
Radness
Second City Divide (film) - BIKEPACKING.com
The Second City Divide is a bikepacking route connecting Glasgow, Scotland and Manchester, England via some of the region’s best off-tarmac tracks. Gaëlle Bojko rode the 609km route and created this beautiful documentary.
Watch it and read her day-by-day account alongside photos from the trip!