A Little Revival

I'm sure most of you can relate to this blog's title. We all go through transitional periods in our life when the deck gets reshuffled and an entirely new hand is dealt. More times than not it's others forcing the new hand on you, but if you play your cards right the outcome can be unexpectedly good. For a few months now, probably six or so, I have been experiencing quite a few shufflings leading to big changes. There were so many hitting all at once it felt like snipers taking successful aim on a daily basis, but I had nothing to combat the onslaught due to my confusion. Prioritizing and firing back was difficult to say the least. Thankfully time has passed, some change has come and gone with new directions forged, but a few others are still in the "work-in-process" category.

I learned a long time ago to embrace these moments and find the doors of opportunity they present; had I not my heart and soul would not have been able to survive, nor would I have learned a dang thing. I pray often for wisdom and understanding, and for those prayers to come true the burden of embracing life change is a pre-requisite. I'm not suggesting I embrace it immediately 100% and enjoy it at all times, but I have faith the outcome on the other side will be one eventually leading to success - for myself and all those around me.

"A Little Revival" is the title to a song and album by Radney Foster that has struck a cord with me. It continues to hit me in a way I am unable to fully explain, but I at least began to understand my finger was on a pulse needing to be understood. Had it entered my life at another moment in time I am afraid its impact would not be the same. However, for this moment all I know is it hit me, hard. I listened to it over and over, each time another layer within my mind was peeled back. I'm unable to count all the emotional openings this one song and others on the album has offered. Though I do give them credit for rocketing me on a blazing and energized path to tackle everything in front of me.

"Deep in my soul a little revival.....amen to love."

All this reminds me of my "Born to Shimmer" blog post back in January of 2008 discussing how we all become inspired for change. I add this with "A Little Revival" and well, we can all get these demons off our back.

Well that's cool, great you say, but how does all this affect you? Here are some changes I am committed to living out.....

First, I am not seeking re-election as the Road Director for the Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association (TBRA) in 2010. I have held this position for two full road racing seasons and have enjoyed volunteering on behalf of competitive racing in Tennessee. However, for the next couple of years I am unable to devote the necessary time to this very time consuming role. I will of course continue to stay plugged into the racing scene through my own promotions as well as through leading two separate TBRA clubs. The annual TBRA assembly meeting is Sunday, December 6th at Cumberland University. The elections for all TBRA positions will take place at that time, and I encourage you to take part and get involved in this volunteer organization.

Second, I have stepped up my commitment to the NashvilleCyclist.com racing team for 2010 and beyond. Not that I wasn't committed before, but our program has been in need of me stepping up to meet our current needs. We have reloaded our roster for next season, both at the elite level and especially within our women's program. Next season will mark our fourth year of existence, and we have reached a level of success and impact that myself and others never really dreamed would happen. However, here we are, and it is important to respect it and develop it to the fullest extent possible. Expect to see a press release within the next few days regarding this excitement!

Third, soon you can expect to see a major overhaul of the NashvilleCyclist.com website. I am very excited about this redesign and upgrade! When I began in the spring of 2004 the technology behind the site was sufficient, but the current structure makes it nearly impossible to achieve goals in a 2010 web environment. I realized over a year ago how this was limiting my ability to achieve my website goals, so at that time I began researching and getting questions answered to do something about it. It's no coincidence that my updates on the site began to trail off at that time.

It took over a year for me to get comfortable with actually scrapping what I've built and starting over, but this also gave me time to save in order to make the appropriate financial investment. I will be deleting what's not working or relevant and building upon what works. Plus, I will explore new ideas I feel will bring you back every day. This redesign will no doubt be a tremendous amount of work. In the end I believe we'll all benefit as it will encourage me to tackle the site's content on a more regular basis moving forward.

Fourth, I believe these next ten years of my life will be the most important ever, more so than any of the 40 I've lived thus far. You may perceive my commitment as having been good, but I've known for quite some time I have either been holding back or distracted by other endeavors not bearing sufficient fruit. Considering all that has transpired and the revelations I've begrudgingly stumbled into lately, the time has come to zero in and focus on just a few incredibly important endeavors. I have enjoyed a few of my side opportunities, but without question they have held me back.

One thought continues to stick in my head, "All chips in."

You can expect to hear more from me about this mentality. Suffice it to say I have grown weary of hearing my friends remark, "you're busy and involved in so many things, I don't know how you do it all." It's not a badge I am proud to wear to be honest because I have not been pleased with my results. I have given some to a lot and achieved some good things, but I am devoted to giving a lot to a little to see what I can really accomplish. I never was a singles hitter, gap shots and home runs were more my strengths. It's high time I play to my strengths.

Yes, all chips in my friends.