Ask anyone who has a hobby- no matter if it’s flyfishing, frisbee golf, or knitting- they will probably tell you they feel a sense of accomplishment when their goal is reached. I call that sense of accomplishment the inner badass. When I’m out 4-wheeling on a trail, there’s nothing like looking at an obstacle and feeling nervousness approach like tidal waves. But after that initial rush of nervousness comes the calm, cool, and collected mindset that allows me to maneuver my Jeep over the obstacle like a professional surfer riding a wave…or so I hope!
This past week has been about unleashing my “inner badass” in a completely different manner- I have been working with a good friend of mine in developing a new product for a new business that involves the world of 4-wheeling. Sometimes I sit and think between all the tasks we are doing like ordering parts, building social media accounts, building a website, getting a logo, and the list goes on and on…and I feel the huge rush of nerves coming. What if what I’m doing isn’t enough? What if no one buys what we are creating and building? What if I’m not good enough to make this venture successful?
Those thoughts can be unsettling to say the least. It would be easy to shrug and say “what happens, happens.” I’m not doing that. I’m taking all of those thoughts, and squashing the shit out of them. Any of my friends at work will tell you about how I am an avid fan of the television show Shark Tank. I love watching the entrepreneurs defend their companies, give soliqioues on what they have to offer, and try to convince the Sharks to part with their hard-earned money. I wonder sometimes how I would perform in their shoes- and I try to imagine what I would say if I were speaking to the Sharks about our new venture.
What I can say is this- we are working our asses off, taking risks, and learning new things everyday (I built an e-commerce website on my own!) I know in the fiber of my being that our product will not only make the life of anyone who takes their vehicle off-road a lot easier, but that it will also put less stress on their equipment, and allow them to enjoy the trails more. I also know that this is just the first product in a whole pipeline of future ideas, and that this is the dawn of a new era for me professionally and personally.
So, what’s next? I’ll tell you- I’m about to go over all the obstacles I run into with the same approach I do to rock crawling in my Jeep Wrangler- I’m going to choose my line, take a deep breath, maintain steady pressure on the gas pedal, and not give up at the first sign of tire slippage or off-camber sensations. Sometimes obstacles take a lot of attempts to get over them. Sometimes you have to take a bypass around the obstacle- which is absolutely OK. Sometimes, you turn around, go home, and build your shit better so you can go back and get over the obstacle. I figure the same approach can be taken with facing life itself- my new business included. So get ready, folks, I’m figuratively going 4-wheeling on a hard-ass trail, and I’m gonna be smiling the whole time!
Get Out There Colorado 