The “cycling” poverty: The lessons to live your life
Have you learned cycling when you are below 15 years old?
If you do, then you are very fortunate. As I shared earlier I learned cycling only about few weeks ago, and I still need to improve my cycling a lot. But the lesson taught me something, the lesson taught me to start living my life.
Today is the Blog Action Day, the day where a lot of bloggers and podcasters around the world talk about the same topic, and it’s all about Poverty this year. I won’t share with you about physical poverty, but I want to share about mental poverty, the poverty mindset, one that often steals your reasons for smile.
The first lesson: Riding BMW
Yes, I got poverty, it’s the poverty of confidence, and the very first reason I can remember is because of the fact that I could not cycle. For some it might not be a big deal, but I was growing up in the place where many people are cycling, and it’s kind of awkward for not being able to cycle. While I couldn’t cycle, I was commuting with my BMW. And no, it’s not the rich man’s BMW; it was the poverty’s BMW: bitching, moaning and whining.
Have you have ever been caned when you were small before?
I guess kids who have grown up in poverty experienced that more than those who are not. Many rich kids lived without any struggle and hard work. They lived on the bed of roses, thorns not included. I had a comfortable life when I was smaller, loved very much by my parents as I’m the only kid in the family. Partly I blamed my “poverty” to my parents for not pushing me to cycle and do the right thing. While they asked me to pedal my tricycle, I ignored them and walked my tricycle instead. And they did not cane or push me further.
Indeed I was living with my poverty’s BMW. What I did was silently envying my friends who can cycle. I pitied myself for not being able to cycle, and even worse, sometimes I asked them not to cycle when I was around. And all along I closed my eyes to the possibility of cycling. I was too embarrassed to learn. Isn’t that the very first lesson of getting rid of your poverty mindset and start living? That is to…
Stop blaming, start living!
For more about excuses that leads to the poverty mindset: Being extraordinary: Excuses you need to stop!
And do you know what happened after I started cycling and living? I fell down.
The second lesson: Inner fighting
Living out from poverty was not an easy task to do. We have been accustomed to the wrong belief too long. Similarly, I was nervous that day, my heart could not be quiet when I decided to learn bicycle. I was so afraid that I will fail, that I will fall and embarrassed by many people who will see me. All the worst possibilities came out even before I made the right step.
I didn’t dare to learn cycling all by myself. I’m really thankful for a friend, Colin who has pushed me and spent some time to teach me. Even more, he taught me to question my mindset and all the various beliefs that have prevented me from cycling.
When I saw a hump on the track, I told myself that I was unprepared to face them. When I crossed over a bumpy road, I made an excuse to fail because the road is imperfect. When I saw people around me, I was distracted by thinking of what they will think. When I saw a turn, I stopped pedalling and I was too afraid to adjust my steering. And when I went into a slightly downward slope, I was too afraid of using the break. The results? I fell down, injured my palm, elbow and knee.
Was it painful? Yes, it was! But do you know something? The pain is not as bad as the pain of living in your comfort zone, fearing for any bad things that might happen. As I have shared earlier, if your heart is trying to treason you from getting rid of the poverty mindset and pursuing your dream…
Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.
~Paulo Coelho
I have recovered from the wounds. It gave me a slight mark, but it was not painful anymore. And here is the second lesson I learned about start living…
Stop worrying, start living!
And if your heart keeps telling you to worry, read this article: Your heart, your fight, your dream
The third lesson: “Cycling” competition
What was your “cycling”?
For many of you, cycling project must have seemed pretty small compared to other act of courage or the things you aim to do. It might be a simple thing to you, but for me, it was the very first sense of handicap I had in my life. When I pitied myself for my “poverty”, I was actually comparing myself with other people that I know, envying for what they have.
If you have the same problem, then I’d like to share with you one quote from Brian Kim…
Don’t think hierarchy, think journey.
~Brian Kim
Like Brian Kim said, think journey. What’s in your hand right now? And what is your next step for your destination? If there is something that you really want to do, but you have been hesitating all along, just do it! That is your “cycling”! Stop comparing or seeking approval from other people. Even if you fall, you will learn from the fall. It’s even better to fall than live in fear of falling. So, here is the third lesson I learned about start living…
Stop comparing, start living!
And if you want to be successful, learn How to be successful, uniquely yours
Did you remember the 2 questions I asked you in the beginning of this article? Each represents your success (as if you’re able to cycle) and failure or drawback (as if you were caned).
Everyone is disabled in a way, only that the physically disabled is more visible.
~Narrator of the TV program “I Journalist”
If I can rephrase it, each of us faces poverty, only that the poor is more visible. As I have shared in an article before about winning with your limitation, it’s no longer about whether or not we have limitations, but it’s more about what we do with it. People can be rich with poverty mindset, or people can be poor or challenged financially with abundance mindset.
I have showed you that poverty can be a strong point with right perspective. In the same way strengths can also become a weak point if you are not responsible for them and let them control you. So it really downs with your action, what you do with your poverty.
“Cycling” only represents a small step, but as one quote said, “the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”. And now my question is: Have you started living? From wherever you are right now, you can start living… Or in other words…
- Stop blaming, start living!
- Stop worrying, start living!
- Stop comparing, start living!
Let’s stop that poverty mindset and live our life,
Robert
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I really don’t have much to add, except to say that it was another magnificent post, Robert. I appreciate how well you write, about your personal story.
ari
Ari Koinumas last blog post..Reader Question: How Can a Marriage Heal from Depression?
Hi Robert,
I liked the spin you put on writing about poverty. Most of us think of starving kids in refugee camps or deprived inner city kids when we think of poverty. But poverty is relative and poverty doesn’t just mean lack of money or wealth as you have so wonderfully illustrated with this story from you own life.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Nick
Nick Grimshawes last blog post..Read, Write, Listen (c) By Nick Grimshawe
inspiring – thank you so much for sharing. another cool initiative (i’ve just joined and am spreading the love) is a “virtual walk” to raise $/awareness for stage iv breast cancer – http://carrieanddanielle.com/gal-to-gal-virtual-walk-for-breast-cancer-we%E2%80%99re-walking-are-you/
I laughed at your definition of what BMW means. Most certainly, I second the idea of stopping the poverty mindset and start living!
Evelyn Lims last blog post..Should The Poor Mexican Fisherman Give Up Contentment For Cash?
That is a new twist to BMW. Will come very handy!!
The days on which I was not punished by either one of my parents or by one of the teachers in school meant that I was sick! People would get worried if that was to happen!
I was a naughty one I was, and Robert, surprise of surprises, I continue to be!
rummusers last blog post..Declare Emergency In India
Hi frens, thanks for the responses. Glad you enjoy my personal story. I also like that twist to that BMW =)
And Candy, thanks for the link!
Hope you guys are inspired to live your life.
Robert
Nice descriptive usage for this blog post for Blog Action Day 08: Poverty.
Very inspiring article too. Let’s start living.
Daniel Richards last blog post..11 Traits You Need To Getting Things Done With a BIGGER SMILE!
> My computer name is bikehikebabe. I had a 2nd hand bicycle when I was 10 for a few days. My brother had an accident with a car on his when I was with him. My bicycle disappeared. My father said it was stolen out of our garage. I believed him for 60 years. Now I think he got rid of it for my safety. 2nd question–no I’ve never been caned. We call it spanked.
>
> I was in a bicycle club (The Cyclones) for 35 years. We did about 150 miles a week. We live in mountainous country, USA.
Unlike many others do, you write about poverty from an interesting angle.
this article reminds me when i learnt how to cycling. when i was 9 years old, my father bought me new bicycle. that called BMX, not BMW. ;P…. i learnt how to cycle… perfectly done. never fell down…. i thought it was easy, piece of cake…but challenges came, new experiences i had, ride a bicylce without steering with your hand….you know what i mean…that idea came from my friend.. i tried it, after that a few minutes later, i fell down because of losing control and unbalancing steer. i could feel “kissing the asphalt”, it hurts. hehhe… i learnt more about life from that accident. life is full of challenge, i dare to move, take, and experience it, but it will bring you to the consequences and risks. i will never learn before i experience it. but still need some considerations to take or not. need some guts to take it or not…
anyway. this article reminds me a lot of my past once more.thanks,fren
Very interesting, I liked the part abuot cycling, very similar to me as like very much off road cycling