There is no failure. Only feedback. ~Robert Allen

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon

I learned something about myself today. I don’t like driving a motorcycle. Perhaps that doesn’t seem like a very big deal, but to me it was huge.

I love riding a motorcycle. My husband drives one, and we have ridden together for years. It is a completely different experience than riding in a car. You see things differently. Colors are more vibrant. Landscapes are more spectacular. It’s almost indescribable really if you haven’t experienced it firsthand.

A couple of months ago, I started thinking that I would like to have my own bike. I shared this with my husband, and he suggested a beginning riders course that the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) offers. I registered for the course, and it was this weekend.

After four hours of classroom instruction last night, we were to spend about six hours actually learning how to drive/ride a motorcycle today and again tomorrow. I only made it through three.

They say that part of the purpose in taking the course is to determine whether or not driving a motorcycle is actually for you in a safe and controlled environment. I found I didn’t like it. In fact, it scared me to death. The further along we went, the more frightened I became.

I wish I could say why, but the truth is, I have no idea.

Besides learning how to engage the clutch on a bike, make it go, make it stop (and no, putting your feet down doesn’t work!), etc., I gained a knowledge far more valuable than the in’s and out’s of driving a motorcycle. I was finally able to grasp a truth that has always seemed to be just beyond my reach.

There was no failure in not finishing the course. It was optional. I was there because I thought it was something I wanted to do. Turns out, it was not.

The failure would have come had I never chosen to try it in the first place.

I can tell you honestly that even a year ago that would have been the case. Not anymore.

There are no feelings of failure. Only a sense of accomplishment in not allowing fear to keep me from trying.

Wishing you the courage to chase whatever dream you may be dreaming.