The Great Karmic Wheel

It's been a great year for cycling in NYC. Miles of protected lanes, miles of marked lanes. New paths in the South Bronx (near Soundview) and great riding over at Randall's Island not to mention the successful implementation of bike share.

With these new lanes and a new willingness of more citizens to try bicycling in the city, it is our responsibility to be more polite and thoughtful than ever.

It's a selfish interest really.


But is is also the right thing to do.


Why is it selfish?  We want people to support cycling and cyclists, not hate it and them. That means being respectful of joggers, walkers, and motorists too.

I don't know about you, but I get apoplexy watching motorists run red lights. And they are usually speeding. But guess what? Pedestrians feel the same way about cyclists who act irresponsibly. And they are right in thinking that. None of us has the right to endanger others, make them feel unsteady or create a dangerous situation.

Last year my father died at age 91. He was a gentle and loving man. One of his hallmarks was how polite he was. When confronted with a difficult situation or person, he almost always chose to yield. And to yield with grace and dignity. He wasn't always right for yielding, but that was his way. It defined how he saw his obligation to other people - - to respect their place in the world - - regardless if it interupted his place. I didn't always agree with him. But as I grow older (and hopefully wiser) I have begun to realize what a better place the world would be if we learned to yield with grace and dignity when confronted with behavior that is rude or obnoxious. It becomes an editorial for you to show others how they should behave. It is your lesson to them.




So have fun out there. Enjoy the ride. And above all be civil. You will get your karmic payback, of this I am sure.

Thank you Janette Sadik-Khan and Transportation Alternatives

We are lucky to have people who are dedicated to making NYC a livable place for humans.  That means air that is breathable, and the ability to travel around safely by foot and pedal power.

It wasn’t always so. Thank you to Janette Sadik-Khan for her intense commitment to public service. And to Paul Steely White for his unrelenting focus on making it better.

I feel fortunate to have people like you making all our lives better!

Be safe

Whenever I cycle by Dr. Nacht’s ghost bike I blow him a kiss. But this story in Reclaim magazine made my heart so very sad.

http://www.transalt.org/newsroom/magazine/2013/Spring/10

Who Inspires You?

Who Inspires You?

When I moved to NYC six years ago I was obsessive about cycling in Central Park every single weekday morning before 7am. In going around a 6.2 mile loop every day you begin to recognize certain daily joggers (who generally run in the direction towards cyclists so they can avoid being hit). I started giving them nicknames for my own distracting amusement. There was Stroke Man (whose face and spastic arm told his story), The Troll (no explanation necessary), Muscles Hot Pants (a bit too articulated) and Butterscotch.

There was something about Butterscotch’s medium length light brown hair and yellowish/tan complexion that just reminded me of a piece of butterscotch candy. She was stick thin, but not in an anorexic way. And she had a slight but perceptibly strange gait, like she was in just a bit of pain and dragging her legs along with her. But regardless of the weather or the season, she was out there - - every day - - even (I deduced) when I was not.

I began looking forward to seeing her and would always wonder which part of the loop would she appear. I always wanted to talk to her - - to tell her how much I admired her dedication to running and how I thought she looked sweet. But I did not as I assumed she would think I was a weirdo or worse yet, a stalker.

This past week, after not having cycled in the park for months,  I spied her. But this time she was running in the same direction as the cyclists and as I came up next to her on an incline I slowed down to make sure it was really her (having never seen her from behind before).  Indeed it was Butterscotch, although her gait and the way she dragged her right leg seemed even more pronounced than I remembered.

I slowed to her pace, came beside her and gathered the courage to blurt out “I just want you to know you really inspire me. I see you out here constantly and I really admire you for your dedication”. She did not hesitate a second and yelled back “I run like this because I have multiple sclerosis.” To which I replied, “Oh. Well I just wanted you to know you are an inspiration to me” and I waved and pedaled away.

Some believe we all wear our burdens on our sleeves for all  to see. Sometimes we keep them inside. Sometimes we blurt them out. Here was a person who received a compliment from a stranger and the felt the need to tell said stranger about her medical condition. She assumed that I said what I said because she thought her malady was obvious to all. But all I saw was a dedicated runner - - fierce and devoted and pushing through pain. I had no idea she had MS. Nor did it matter to me.  But to her it was a billboard.

Perhaps the next time I see her I will let her know that her ability to inspire others is the only thing visible.

Who inspires you? Who do you inspire?

How is riding a 100 miles on a bicycle like running an innovation company?

A few weeks back I achieved the bicyclists version of a runner’s marathon: the century ride - - 100 miles in one day.  As I rode I began to realize what a powerful metaphor it was for my business, innovation, and so its achievement became even more powerful for me.

Here’s why:

A specific goal to achieve was established.
Without goals people, like businesses, tend to drift from one event or crisis to another. Does it often seem that life has no plan because you always have to attend to what is directly in front of you?  Having a goal that is tangible as well as a stretch is a way of giving context to chaos, meaning to mush, and focus to action.  I think those are all good things in our life and especially in the innovation business.

I envisioned the outcome weeks before the ride date.
The most successful visionaries can see, feel and taste the outcome of what they want to accomplish. You internalize your vision. “What will I feel like when I cross the finish line?” Making that feeling real helps you push through the months of training. In innovation we are often working on projects that are undefined and vague but envisioning the outcome keeps us working even when things seem completely undefined.

Failure was not an option.
The fact that I told EVERYONE I KNEW about my ride  meant that, short of being hit by a bus, I had to finish. How embarrassing otherwise. And so failure was not allowed. This mental state means you push through no matter what. Bring that same attitude to an innovation challenge or any business challenge and you get it done.

Doing good while doing well.
A life well-lived is one with a virtuous cycle (no pun): we know what we do, how we do it and why we do it. It is the why that many in commerce struggle with. The why must have a higher purpose - - something that gives back and makes the world better. When we have no “why” we usually are just going through the motions. My “why” was about being green; I think everyone should ride a bicycle if they have the opportunity to use it as a replacement for a fossil fuel trip. The world would be better. Your body would be better. Your mind would be clearer. You get the picture.

I got to be in my dream state.
Dreaming, whether you are awake or asleep, is often where we find our best inspiration and solve tough problems. For me, the act of bicycling produces a heady dream-like state of mind. I begin to think about my toughest problems and often solve them on my bicycle. I carry a pen to scribble and a Blackberry to tap. Innovation requires a dream state. Bicycling and innovation are made for each other.

I began to believe I had the power to accomplish anything.
Something changes in us when we accomplish great things. We understand what it is like to win, to achieve, and to conquer our fears and anxieties. Professional athletes know this feeling well. And business people know it as well. Success brings more success. Once you know what it feels like you want it again and again and you begin to know what to do to get there.

On ride day I never checked the distance covered or average speed or how long it was taking. I usually fixate on those things when I train. Instead I “enjoyed the journey” and lived in the moment all while achieving a tough goal. In the achievement of our life goals, time is the only barometer we have to measure success. The distance covered or goals achieved are simply the outgrowh of how we chose to use the precious time we have. 

Happy cycling.

Janette Sadik-Khan for King/Queen of the Universe!

This is Cindy. I ran into her when I was cycling over to the West Side of Manhattan a few weeks back. I had to stop abruptly because the ramp directly behind her that runs down to the Greenway on the Hudson was shut. Big sinkhole. No big deal for me. I found another way there.  But for Cindy it meant no enjoying the day on the river path. But she was so laid back about it. She had a great attitude. It gave me gratitude for my blessings.

When I got home I sent a note to our Department of Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan about a possible fix. For those of you who do not know of her, she is a force of nature par excellence.  She has done more to improve the lives of us in NYC than you can ever imagine. Through her efforts NYC has become pedestrian and cycling friendly. Her work is incredible, miraculous, fantastic wonderful and amazing. I cannot say enough good things about her.

Today on my trip the sinkhole was fixed. Cindy, I assume, was down by the river enjoying the breeze.

Janette would tell you she had nothing to do with the repairs.  But I know it was her magic elves at work. Or if not, just her incredible kharma making life better.

I vote that she become empress of all things in the universe.

Cheers and ride safely.

My Least Favorite Sign in NYC

Signs here. Signs there. Signs everywhere. Too many signs.

I don’t know why, but signs as a metaphor for life have intrigued me of late. After all, as vital human beings aren’t we always looking for signposts, signals, divine direction or even some prosaic affirmation of which way in life to go?

But the metaphorical is ephemeral at best. Especially when there are so many literal signs all about. Why look for meaning in symbols when there is so much concrete direction provided?

So many signs. Everywhere. It’s as if we have lost all common sense. Walk. Don’t walk. Look both ways. Go right. Stay left. Yield. Stop. Stay in lane. Remove your laptop. No cellphone usage. Bear right. Bear Left. Beware of Bears. Too many signs.

There used to be fewer signs. Was it because we were less prone to be lost? We didn’t have GPS at our noses. We had to follow our senses and our noses. Were there fewer of us and fewer places to go? And were we moving more slowly when we were going where we were going so we needed fewer signs?

There is a purity to a vista that has no signs. An unencumbered beauty ode to a natural landscape that allows us to just “be” without having someone or some sign tells us anything at all. Those vistas are harder and harder to find. Even Frank Lloyd Wright tried to convince the President of the United States not to put up telephone poles with wires on the landscape under the mountains facing his house in Phoenix. What would he think of what he saw there now?

I took a ride over the almost completed $600million Willis Avenue Bridge between Manhattan and Bronx. It is, to say the least, a vast improvement over the previous structure. Especially the “pedestrian” path. It’s wide, smooth, and has no stairs to negotiate. And it had no signs. At least until the middle and then there it was. . An egregious assault. A sign. It had no words. Just a picture of a bicycle within a “do not” red symbol. Ouch.

Like I said. Too many signs.