Note: Each week I will handpick one of my best blog posts from the last six years of blogging and publish it for your edification and encouragement. Today’s blog post was originally created on December 7, 2017, with few changes made.
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect – Alan Cohen
Building Planes in a Bicycle Shop
The Wright brothers were pioneers of flight. They produced something unprecedented in an era when automobiles had been discovered, but flight was considered unfathomable. Many before Wilbur and Orville Wright had tried and failed – some even died – but that did not deter the brothers from embarking on something that was branded in their souls. Their father, Bishop Milton Wright, planted this seed in his sons when he brought home a toy plane created by a French experimenter. Coming from the obscurity of Dayton, Ohio, didn’t help the brothers either. Who would think that anything so great could come from such an insignificant place?
The odds were stacked against the brothers. None of them had any previous experience in anything to do with flight. They didn’t have any financial backing either. In fact, the Wright brothers owned a bicycle shop not too far from their house. That bicycle shop became the place where they would build a plane.
The absurdity of building a plane in a bicycle shop cannot be overstated, but, they pressed forward with their dream without concern for criticism. While other potential aviators focused on creating something powerful enough to overcome the wind, the brothers studied the birds in the air to learn how to use the wind to their advantage. The curiosity about birds drove the insight that led to the revelation for the brothers to create the shape of the plane that we see today.
Making History
What was a historic moment on December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, when they could take off, fly, and land, started in a modest bicycle shop. Furthermore, where the United States Government had spent over $50,000 on failed attempts at flight, the Wright brothers had succeeded while only spending about $1,000, which entirely came from their bicycle business. Who would have thought that the planes we see and ride in today all began in a bicycle shop?
Everyone Has a Bicycle Shop
When getting our dreams started, we will not always have everything we need, but that should not prevent us from getting off the ground. While I have not set out to make history, I can relate to the concept of a bicycle shop. As a writer, my bicycle shop was a small desk in our bedroom where I practiced writing 300-500 words a day. The desk was small, and the space was not always inspirational, but that was what I had at the time. That bicycle shop of 300-500 words a day has aided my writing. I have since graduated from that small desk but if I had waited until all conditions were perfect, I probably would have never developed to where I am. I have also had the privilege of speaking on numerous occasions to various numbers of people but it started with the bicycle shop years ago when I volunteered to teach a small bible study group of less than ten people where I poured everything I had into it. It’s what you are doing in the “bicycle shop” that will make the difference and separate you from those who talk about what they want to do and those who get out there and do it. How do you continue to press on to your dream or goal, with the odds stacked against you and the surroundings not conducive? How do you stay focused on building a plane in a bicycle shop?
It’s what you are doing in the “bicycle shop” that will make the difference and separate you from those who talk about what they want to do and those who get out there and do it.
Make Today Your Masterpiece: Don’t hope for a better tomorrow if you are not giving your best today. Today is tomorrow’s investment. Make today count. Demolish the “bare minimum” mentality and exceed expectations wherever you are. What is the one thing you can do well today as the setup for a better tomorrow?
Endure the Headwinds: When I go running outside, I hope for a tailwind, which means the wind is moving in the same direction as I am. I don’t have to put in as much effort in a tailwind. But there are times when I turn the corner and I am heading back home, and the wind is blowing in my face. This is called a headwind. I learned that it’s in the headwinds where I develop my endurance and increase my capacity. There will be days that things will fall in place and it will seem effortless but there will also be days when we get punched in the gut or the wind changes directions on us, and we still have to keep moving. Bishop TD Jakes says it well, “It generally takes some adverse winds to break the concrete of normal and dig out the path to what previously would’ve been impossible.” Learn how to operate in headwinds and tailwinds.
No Risk, No Gain: The threat of failure keeps us from stepping out in faith and getting our dreams or goals off the ground. To get their plane off the ground, the Wright brothers had to overcome the fear of failure and the heat of criticism. They invested in themselves and their dream when no one else was going to do it. If you believe in your dream, I dare you to invest in it and not wait for someone else to come along and do it for you.
Final Thought: What are you building in your bicycle shop?
Keep on Keeping
Discover Your Treasure 