Who Do You Ride For? #1

Hi my name is Helene Rivero, I am riding for all my family member who died of cancer. I am a spinning instructor for many years. I love health and fitness, and I’m also a personal trainer. As a teenager my uncle, and aunt died of cancer. I felt so bad because this was back in the late seventies. Not so many people talked about cancer. Then as years went on my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I worried so much about her and myself. She died in 1994, and in 1995 my dad died of lung cancer. I changed my life completely by exercising daily and following a good diet. Now I help my clients to lose the extra weight, eat right and come to Spinning class. I have 2 bikes in my studio and want everyone to try it. One day we will find a cure. Until then enjoy your ride in life….

- Helene Rivero

War of the Words

The first Spinning Nation in 2008 was an adventure. No one had ever tried to coordinate that many classes in that many locations, in one day…ever. I remember seeing the film version of The Right Stuff and thinking going in how I’d always thought the Kennedy space program had been planned and run like a well oiled machine. That was until I realized halfway through the movie what the monkeys were for! That was the first Spinning Nation, “Murphy’ Law” governed every plan and we didn’t even get to use the Monkeys!

Now we’re all hardened veterans, and the whole team is looking forward to the second succesful launch. You’re officially along for the “Ride.”

Winning

“Never letting the competition define you. Instead, you have to define yourself based on a point of view you care deeply about.”

–Tom Chappel

Keeping Promises

I promised myself that if I started this blog I’d write something in it every day. “Something.”

Where Are You Going?

“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.”

- Denis Waitley

There Is No “I” In Team

As you can imagine, putting together an event of the magnitude of            Spinning Nation is <see:understatement of the decade> a big job. Add to   the fact that our organization, Sportsgrants is committed to a corporate structure that is the polar opposite of “business-is-business.” We put people first by allowing our team to work from their homes, enjoy flexible hours, and we trust them. If we had a motto it would be something the late concert promoter Bill Graham said, “It’s only work if there’s something else you’d rather be doing.” I’ll grant you that this “virtual company” idea looks a lot easier in books and magazines than it is to pull off, but when we get it right, we have an organization where nobody ever goes to “work.”

Sunday Morning

Murphy’s Law has been in full effect the last 24 hours. The new Spinning Nation site is due   to  launch tonight at midnight and things started going terribly wrong at 6am yesterday. If you’re as geeky as we are then you know that horrible moment when a file that you’ve been working on for weeks that’s supposed to be there, isn’t there anymore.

It’s like the five stages of grief.

• Denial (this isn’t happening to me!) “The file couldn’t just disappear?”
• Anger (why is this happening to me?)
• Bargaining (I promise I’ll be a better person if…) “…you just put the file back.”
• Depression (I don’t care anymore) “Oh my God, I quit!”
• Acceptance (I’m ready for whatever comes) “OK, time to start over again. I hope I can remember what was in that file and that my wife sin’t going to kill me for being five hours late for dinner.”

So, by 2am we were almost there. We all hope you like the site and I hope we learn to like it again!

My Favorite Passage

Until one is committed there is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would have never otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man (or woman) could have dreamt would have come his way.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets.

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.                                                                                Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

W. H. Murray                                                                                                                                                  The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

The Day After

Gratitude according to Websters; the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

That about sums up what we were thinking yesterday about Spinning Nation. Saying we’re grateful is one thing, but doing something about it is the only thing that makes it real.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward.

Giving Thanks.

I think that if I die with a regret on my lips, it would be for gratitude unexpressed. We do our job as an expression of the gratitude each of us have for what we’ve been given and the blessing of being able to share it. From Greta Rose, Bobbi, Tim, Ted, Craig, Lynne, Julie and I, Happy Thanksgiving. Have a peaceful day.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

- William Arthur Ward