Mike Across America

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”  “If you care enough for a result, you will most certainly attain it.” William James

I have many William James quotes.  The late Dr. George Sheehan quoted James many times and that is where I first heard of James.  “Effort is the measure of the man” is another James quote I like. My motivation to attempt RAAM is often questioned. The question I get most often is – Why are you doing it? The answer varies from: “because its a challenge” to “I want to see if I can do it” to “I hope to raise funding for Sanford Research Center and the Dick Beardsley Foundation” to “it sounds like fun” to “I’m not really sure why I’m doing it”. They are all true,  yet trying to explain something as extreme as riding my bike over 3,000 miles in 12 days or less doesn’t really lend itself to simple answers. The old “because its there” probably works about as well as anything else. I hope whoever takes the time to wonder about my motivation will consider their own. What is your reason for doing anything? Can you explain why you do the things you do? Or better, can you explain why you don’t do the things you would like or know you should do?  Dr. Sheehan often wrote and spoke about becoming the best you, that you could become – whatever that is. He felt that developing the body, mind and spirit was essential to become the “best” you. Will riding my bike across the United States in 12 days make me a better me? I’m not sure but I’m willing to find out.