Sounds dramatic, right?
But stick with me.

So, we loaded up our bikes and hit the road to Italy. The plan? To ride through those spots where Italy, Austria, and Switzerland shake hands. Gorgeous places, really.

But here’s the catch: we weren’t there to just soak in the views.

Nope.

We were all about speed.
Throttle wide open, hitting the brakes hard, cutting corners like we’re in some kind of race.

And me?

I was pretty much a newbie, barely my second season on the bike. My balance?
Let’s just say I was more the “stay upright and hope for the best” kind of guy. Tight corners were my nemesis.

Despite my rookie status, the pace was relentless. We had this goal to nail one route a day.

One of my buddies, who’d ride behind me, mentioned that I could literally lean more into the corners, said something about there being enough space to fit a basketball between my knee and the road.

With that piece of advice, I decided to push harder the next day.

We were tackling this route with some seriously sharp turns and these tiny guardrails that were all that stood between us and a drop-off into nothing.

Then, it happened.

Took a corner too fast, couldn’t slow down in time, and the guardrail was coming up fast. Panic mode, right?
Everything around me slowed down.
My brain went into light speed mode doing calculations.

But then, I remembered what my friend said about leaning more. I thought, “Well, if I’m going down, might as well try it.”

So, I leaned further than I ever had, felt my knee scrape the ground, and managed to hug the corner tight enough to avoid a disaster. I swear, only a baseball could’ve fit between me and that guardrail.

I came out of that corner shaken but unscathed.

Why am I even telling you this?

Because that moment was a huge wake-up call for me. It showed me that when you’re faced with a do-or-die situation, sometimes you gotta take the leap.

I realized I had more in me, more to give. And I wouldn’t have known if my buddy hadn’t pointed it out. His feedback was literally a lifesaver.

Receiving valuable feedback from a supportive friend, community, or mentor can be life-changing. It taught me to never settle, always believing there’s room for growth in any area.

After that scare, biking became even more of a thrill. I was pushing limits (but only on race tracks), leaning into every corner like it was my last.

And that picture?

That’s me, post-epiphany, knee to the ground in every turn.

You are capable of so much more.
You know it!

Did you have a do-or-die situation?