Why Hitting My D*ck On The Handlebars Was A Good Thing

I remember when I first learnt how to ride a bike without trainer wheels.

I went to the park with my brother and my dad and started off riding with my trainer wheels on.

I was warming up for the big test.

Feeling confident, we took the trainer wheels off.

I started biking with my dad holding the bike at first to guide me.

He then took his hands off the bike and I was on my own.

Shaky and wobbly, I managed to stay upright... just.

I fell off by trying a turn that was too sharp but I was so happy to actually move forward without trainer wheels on.

So I got back on the bike again and started pedalling with a massive smile on my face.

My brother told me to take my hands off the wheel, so I did.

I went for two to three seconds before riding over a pothole.

I went forward off my seat, hit my d*ck on the 'T' of the handle bars and came crashing down with tears on my face.

Lesson learnt.

Don't listen to the older brother 😂

But the real lesson I can see now, as an adult looking back.

Getting good at anything in life requires effort and mistakes.

It's easy to say that to a kid trying to learn how to ride a bike but what about a full grown adult trying to track calories.

Or a mother learning how to parent a child.

Nothing happens without effort and without mistakes so stop pretending like it should!

You have a bad day of eating. So what? Back on your bike.

You miss a weight you 'should' have hit in the gym. So what? Back on the bike.

You gain a kilogram instead of losing two. So what? Back on the bike.

We don't get better at riding a bike by staying upright. We get better by falling off.

Understanding how we fell off and trying not to make the same mistake again.

So when you join Team Brock Ashby and have me as your coach.

Don't look at me like the trainer wheels holding you upright for a perfect smooth ride to a transformational 8 weeks.

Because that isn't what happens.

Look at me like the pot holes in the ground, showing you what you can get better at and helping you build resilience to ride the bike yourself, without me around.