A clear mind can make all the difference in the world. Whether most of us want to admit it or not, our mood often dictates how we’ll react to any situation we face. If everything is smiles and sunshine, having someone pull a boneheaded move in traffic might not elicit anything more than a sigh. On the wrong day, a few of your favorite gestures might be called upon to correctly express your displeasure in that particular driver’s road etiquette.
More and more Americans are working from home these days, thoroughly enjoying the fruits of telecommunication bestowed upon us by the internet. Why it took so long for a portion of the mainstream workforce to adopt working from home is beyond me, but I’ll leave you to speculate on our own. As much as I enjoy my short commute from my bed to a keyboard, there’s a lot to be said about being able to wave goodbye to your daily toils and letting that portion of your mind shift to far more essential things like food or motorcycles.
Some thrive in constantly focusing on work. That’s how they’re built, and more power to them. For anyone who isn’t a lunatic, we require downtime and need to indulge in a hobby, an outlet, a distraction of some kind. Luckily, motorcyclists tend to have that baked into their lifestyle, seeing as our two-wheeled obsession soaks up hours. We’ll work away in the garage on maintenance or upgrades, meditate over a perfect lap or canyon cruise, or, well, you get the idea. It is an all-encompassing pastime for many.
That’s one side of it. I use several activities to clear my head and recharge the creative manna needed to churn out content. Whether that be the gym, a quick ride, or plucking a guitar, these are all crucial activities to get my regular job done. They’re all utterly unrelated to typing on a keyboard, but the keyboard becomes less of a tool and more of an anchor without them. I need to do some or all of these things daily. Walking away from a story or project and looking at things with fresh eyes is an invaluable tactic, even if that’s just a few minutes.
Then there is riding, which requires a particular kind of focus that benefits from a clear mind. Behind the handlebars, our vision informs our inputs, and we use all of that energy to direct us exactly where we want to go. That could be for a spirited rip through the canyons, spinning laps at the track, or simply cruising along a leisurely country road; the possibilities are endless. You’ll be putting quite a bit of mental and potentially physical effort into your ride, to some degree or another.
When your thoughts are clouded with work stress and other concerns, all those inputs might take a little longer to happen. Your risk vs. reward assessment skills could have their balance upset and, generally speaking, none of these things tend to bode well. The whole point of a casual outing is to park those worries for a few hours and indulge in riding—something that demands all your attention.
It can be difficult to separate those two, and a trick I learned not all that long ago was to have goals when riding. This line of thinking seems most suited for anyone on a racetrack, but it will work anywhere. Your goal might be to zero in on a particular few curves, make sure you hit a jump just so, or improve exits. Out in the mean streets, more tangible goals might come into play, such as making sure your starts are clean and always keeping your eyes up to scan ahead. As enjoyable as riding is, I sit in the camp that one needs to compartmentalize and become a clean slate, absorbing whatever the world puts in your path.
Now, that might sound like some wish-wash, but let’s all think back to when we first flew out of our parent’s nests and fended for ourselves. Like you, I’m sure there was a learning curve for basic things like shopping, and you might have quickly learned the cardinal rule of buying weekly provisions: Never shop when hungry. Otherwise, your shopping cart will be filled with delicious snacks. While tasty, they don’t exactly add up to a square meal. They’ll usually cost you at the till, too.
Spring is here, the weather is getting nicer, and we have a few extra hours to spend outside. Ensuring the bills are paid is just as important as enjoying the time spent outside of the office or off the job site. So, get out there and clear your mind. You’ll be glad you did.
