Ownership determines motivation, spirit

map of East Coast USA
Rough outline of my 1982 bicycle trip. It was three weeks and 1,100 miles from Philadelphia to Walt Disney World. Not the original vision. The original vision was to head West once in the Autumn warmth of ‘the South’ and then head North upon reaching the Pacific, to Washington State. My best friend lived in Pullman as a Residence Hall Director at Washington State University.

Ownership is what you learn after you think you’ve learned it all.

Take my 1982 solo, cross-country bicycle trip.

As a former Boy Scout, i learned and embraced the Scout motto, “Be prepared”.

Planned for everything.

Including what i’d need to do when my $75 cash ran out, and no credit card for a backup.

Felt locked and loaded when i left Philly and headed South.

But, i didn’t know i needed to plan for this…

Imagine no one is in a forest and a tree falls. Does it make any noise?

Now imagine seeing so much beauty on the top of the Skyline Drive, with the valleys shrouded in a blanket of low clouds and above the clouds stunning, peak Fall foliage. But i’m alone.

With no one to share the extraordinarily beautiful view with me, is it really that beautiful?

Insight: The answer is no.

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By jeff noel

Retired Disney Institute Keynote Speaker and Prolific Blogger. Five daily, differently-themed personal blogs (about life's 5 big choices) on five interconnected sites.