Every time I see that it’s someone’s birthday, I’ll usually post my wishes to them on social media and ask if they’re getting out for a birthday ride.  I also asked about this when I hosted #bikeschool a few weeks ago to find out what sort of cycling rituals people had on their big day.

It seemed like the most popular response was for people to ride the amount of miles that equals their age.

Well, today it’s my turn.  Yes, Mr. LovingtheBike turns another year older today, and as always I’ll be getting out for one special birthday ride.  So how old am I, you ask?  Well, I honestly feel like age is just a number and I don’t personally get too tied up with it.  But two years ago I posted about having abs at 42…..you do the math.  Oh, and thanks to my time on the bike, and decent nutrition……I still have abs at 44.

I don’t have a consistent ritual for my yearly birthday ride, but I tend to do something out of the ordinary so as to make it memorable.  Some years I’ve gone ultra long distance.  When we lived in St. Kitts, I was sure to do an around-the-island ride.  Other times it was a ride that allowed me to clear my head and spend time in nature.

I’m not exactly sure what’s in store for this year, but all I know is that after I’m done putting in some hours at Mocha Spoke this morning….I’m heading off for a sweet journey with just me and my road bike.  After that, the rest of the day will be spent celebrating with my Family.

Okay, so what about you?  What are your birthday riding rituals?  Let’s hear about it.

Because I live in the Caribbean, I’m often told that I’m living in paradise.  Oh, and having a bicycle tour/rental company along with all of this makes it sound even more paradise-ish.  But what exactly constitutes the creation of paradise?

Looking in from the outside, living in a place like this definitely creates the notion of paradise….but being on a tropical island surrounded by turquoise blue water is not the definition of paradise.

For me personally, a place like this contains a lot of things that I desire…warm climate, laid back attitude, and nature.  But there’s so much more to defining this word so many use to describe my location.

My definition of paradise is being surrounded by the things that are most important to yourself.  The more of these things that you can surround yourself with, the closer to paradise you’ll be.

When it comes right down to it, paradise exists in our soul….and it’s up to us to unlock the right doors to make sure it stays open.

Let’s get back to me living in this so-called paradise.  There are times when I’m on the beach playing with my kids that I totally feel that I’m there.  But along with that come things like poor living conditions, backwards ways of doing things, and so mch more.  Would you believe that in order to get warm water to wash dishes in the kitchen, we have to fill a pot of water from the bathroom shower?  How about the fact that if we were to run out of cooking gas for the stove and oven on a Friday, we’re looking at no cooking available until at least the following Tuesday.  Or you want to make something for supper that requires sour cream, and then run around to every store available just to find out the island is out of it until the next shipment arrives.  Yeah, and that’s just a couple simple examples of the realities of living the Caribbean dream.

Paradise lies within and around you.  Determine what core values are most important to you, and build your paradise from there….Make it Happen.

Let us hope that today we are all able to find our own little piece of Paradise no matter where we are.  It is there, I promise you.

I’ve been riding quite the hypocritical journey the past few weeks, and definitely not practicing what I preach.  Yeah, me…. Mr. Positivity.  To sum it up, I’ve just been plain down…….and not really doing much to climb back up.  I’ve recognized my mood and not really tried to cover it up…..I’ve just gone with it.

This is why I like to write about personal development in our Make it Happen Monday features.  Not because I want to share my Wisdom with the world……but because I am in need of ongoing inspiration and positivity for myself.  So what exactly is the secret to living a healthy, happy, and positive life?

Well, let me tell you about something I read in an article a long time ago.  There was a small post on bad boy rock star, Kid Rock.  He explained that before he was famous, he loved to sit back and eat Kraft Dinner and drink Budweiser.  When he became famous, he still found happiness in eating Kraft Dinner and drinking Budweiser.

He has a simple passion, and because of it…..he is a happy man.  I personally envy people who can create happiness with simple pleasures.

We all crave Happiness, right?  So what is it that makes you truly happy?  What do you do to ensure it is part of your daily life?  What do you do to ensure it continues?

If you’re like me, surrounding yourself with Family and Bicycles helps a lot.  But what else?

We all go through periods of confusion, doubt, and times when we just ain’t as spunky as we’d like to be.  This is the time where we need positive words and  wisdom the most.  There are so many encouraging messages and words that can be used to push us back up when we’re down.

Today I suggest Kid Rock’s method and to recommend focusing on simple pleasures.  Focus all your energy towards each and every simple pleasure that comes your way today…..I know there will be many.

For the past few months, I’ve been acting as one of the Pioneers for a new social media platform called Happify.  They asked me to be one of their beta users and be part of their pre-launch testing group.

I couldn’t say no to being one of the first people to use something that has the potential of being huge.  Imagine if you were one of the beta testers of Facebook or Twitter?  Yeah, I had to jump at the chance.  Oh, and my mind could definitely use some Happify-ing.

Okay, so Happify is not your typical social media deal.  This website definitely has the Make it Happen attitude.  It also is a whole lot more scientific, and requires much more work than what you’re used to.  But Happify has a much bigger purpose than helping you connect and interact with others.

It was actually created and developed by people who work within the field of science, and if used properly can really help you become a happier person and achieve your dreams.  I once talked about The Happy Gene, but if you were born without it like I was….taking part in mental skills like Happify has to offer can build it up.

It’s Your Turn to Join Happify:

Okay, so one of the perks of being a Happify Pioneer is having the chance to introduce this new Social Media Platform to our readers, and give you the opportunity to join.  Happify is officially now open to all of you.

Click the Happify logo on the right and it will take you to the sign up page.

If you join up, please get back to me and give your thoughts on what you think about it.

No, this isn’t some sort of Loving the Bike infomercial telling you about how to get rich quick.

For the past couple years (and many other times over the last 10 years), my life has been more about lifestyle than making money.  It wasn’t really a decision I made, but that’s just how things have worked out.

Sure, it can make things difficult and stressful….but here’s what helps me cope and make sense of it all.  All this downtime from a regular 40 hour work week allows me a whole lot of freedom to spend with my Family and to ride my bike.  To me, a day spent like this is worth well over $1,000,000.00.

Believe me….I have my days.  But when I’m able to focus on the positive and I have my make it happen attitude in check, I am easily able to see that time like this cannot be bought.  It’s incredibly valuable and gives me so much more satisfaction than any paycheck ever could.

So as I ease my way out of another one of my “retirement” phases, I’m thankful for all the Million Dollar days I’ve had.

Have you ever thought about just how much power a certain name can have?  Along with that, does a powerful name provide a more powerful product?

Okay, so a couple weeks ago a guy named Ky-mani Marley performed on Grenada’s sister island of Carriacou.  The name likely does not ring any bells for you….I know it didn’t for me or any of my friends around here.  But that famous last name was enough to get people interested.

Ky-mani is one of the many son’s of Bob Marley.  Damian Marley….Ziggy Marely…..yeah, I definitely know about those sons.  But Ky-mani?  Never heard of him.

The power of a name was enough to get a huge buzz going prior to the concert, and it also helped draw in a nice crowd for the event.  I wonder how many people would have gone if it was Ky-mani Jones performing?

The same thing is true in the bicycle industry.  There are a lot of us out there who feel that a brand like Trek or Specialized is far superior to any other bike company.  Why?  Because Pro cyclists ride them, they do great marketing, and most of all….because you’ve heard of them.

But ask a bicycle specialist who makes the best bikes, and I’ll guarantee you that it’s not one of the top 5 most publicized bike companies.

So what does all this have to do with our Make it Happen Monday theme?  Well, I’m hoping it helps motivate you to build an incredible name for yourself……not necessarily the way Ky-mani, Trek, or Specialized did.

Create a powerful name by doing great things.  Make a change in the world for the better.  Do something different, and incredible.  Leave a legacy.

All with the Power of Your Name.

Recently our kids were given a book called, “How Full is Your Bucket” and it’s one of those that teaches some incredible life lessons….all this book needed was the main character to be riding his bike and it would be totally awesome.

Okay, so Felix (the main character) is taught by his Grandpa about the importance of filling up other people’s baskets.  What he means by this is saying and doing nice things for others and each time you do it a drop of water is placed in the imaginary bucket above their heads.  It’s a cool concept and it’s written in a way that kids can relate to and understand.

Ever since receiving the book we have added a new phrase in our house…..”What can you do to fill up their bucket”.  Yeah, we have three kids and although I feel they are the best kids in the world they definitely have their share of fights and arguments.  So over and over again we encourage them to find ways to fill up all the buckets.

It may be written for kids, but us adults and cyclists can learn a valuable lesson from it as well.  The next time you’re out walking around, imagine that every person around you has an imaginary bucket above their head.  What can you do to make sure you add to it and not take any water away?

How about your fellow cyclists?  What can we do to encourage them and push them to be all that they desire on the bike?  Make it Happen. Drop, Drop, Drop.

How Full Is Your Bucket?

I may not be an extreme mountain biker like some of you out there, but lately I’ve been feeling like a mountain bike pioneer….and making it happen on the Grenada off-road trails.

On my tropical island of Grenada, there are not too many mountain bikers around…heck, there’s not that many cyclists in general.  There are a few people who use the bike for transportation, some who train for road and triathlon racing, and some who just meander around because they love riding….but the number of hardcore mountain bikers is significantly small.  Possibly even non-existent.

I do know of one guy who claims to have ridden every inch of this island and cycled through every trail, and I think he’s the only one to have ever ventured down these trails on a bike.

But I know there are more trails, and that’s what I’ve set out to unearth.  Christopher Columbus may have been the pioneer who discovered Grenada in 1498, but I’m going to be the mountain bike pioneer who rides some virgin trails in 2013.

My buddies over at Singletracks.com have even added Grenada to their worldwide directory of mountain bike trails so that I can be the first to include our mountain bike trails on their site.  So far I’ve included the Mt. Hartman trail which takes you over to the Hog Island bridge if you make a slight detour.  Here’s the link to the Mt. Hartman trail I posted on Singletracks.  They happen to have the largest trail directory, and I’m hoping to make it even bigger.

One thing I’ve learned so far is that you need a lot of patience to be a pioneer.  I’ve rode down so many trails only to find them become so thick that they can’t be ridden, or ventured into some private property with angry sounding dogs, or something else that has made me have to turn around and come back.  For every 5 trails I’ve set off to discover, only about 1 of them turns into something ride-able.

But I’m going to continue exploring Grenada’s great unknown on a bike.  It’s not a huge island, but there’s plenty of mountains and rainforest to get lost in.

Here’s hoping I don’t come across that juvenile Anaconda that was recently located on the island.  Yeah, what a crazy story…turns out some guy on the island has had a pet Anaconda for a few years and it escaped.  Grenada has a few harmless snakes around, but the thought of this thing creeping on the island spooks me a little bit.  Yeah, I guess I never should have watched that movie “Anaconda” when I was younger.

I’m sure there are new bike paths to be discovered where you are as well.  Come join me and be a mountain bike pioneer of your own.

This post was inspired by the coolest 13-year-old I know….his name is Logan LaPlante and he’s the creator of what he calls Hackschooling.

If I was still a kid going to school, I would most definitely be asking my Parents if I could follow in Logan’s footsteps and be a Hackschooler just like him.  I’m totally serious that these thoughts did just go through my head, but then it hit me.  I may not be a hackschooler, but I’m someone motivated by lifestyle, and just realized that I’m a Lifestyle Hacker.

Let’s back it up just a little bit.  Logan is a 13-year-old who recently gave a TED Talk called “Hackschooling Makes Me Happy”.  I’m including the video right here for you to watch, it is well deserving of your time to sit down and hear what Logan has to say.

Logan is definitely a Make it Happen kind of guy and his viewpoints on life and learning is what makes me feel so instantly connected to him.  I dig this kid so much that I contacted his parents and arranged for him to have a video Skype conversation with me and my kids.  We had a great time with Logan and really enjoyed getting to know them.  We’ll be having more conversations with them in the future, and hope to meet up with them in real life as well.

Okay, so all of this got me thinking about my life and how I should be considering myself a Lifestyle Hacker (yeah, these thoughts came to me while riding my bike).

I wanted to live in the Caribbean, but I didn’t have a job offer or suitcase of money to get me living there full-time.  Pretty much all the expats that I know of who live in the islands are either extremely wealthy or have a great paying job that took them there.  But I hacked the system and for the second time in my life I’m living in the Caribbean.  No job offer and no money tree to shake (I’m still working at acquiring the money tree).

Between our episodes of living in the Caribbean, we lived in Austin Texas.  Being a Canadian, it’s not all that easy to just pick up and go live in the USA.  But I hacked into it once again and our Family was able to live there for a few years….and most of the time we were there, I didn’t really even have a US based job.  A Lifestyle Hacking success story, indeed.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that me and my Family hack into the Lifestyle we dream to have quite often.  Like I’ve said many times before….I may not be a Millionaire, but I’m living the Million dollar lifestyle.  I’ve done it by hacking the system and finding alternative ways to achieve things.

So here’s to Hackschooling, Lifestyle Hacking, and doing what you need to do in order to Make it Happen and Create Your Own Lifestyle.

Even if you’re loving the bike, there may be days when you require some extra motivation to get out there and ride.  Maybe it’s because you’re having a busy day, not feeling 100%, or just not as psyched as you usually are.  Whatever the reason, there’s likely going to be days when you have to tap into your number one motivator to get you out there.

Between my work as a personal trainer and questions that have come in through this website, I’ve worked with a lot of people who require a little more motivation to Make it Happen than some of you may need.  The first thing I always ask is for them to tell me what their reason is for riding a bike.  But then I make them dive a little deeper.

If they say they want to ride a bike to improve their health, I ask what specific aspects of their health they want to improve.  If it’s to become a competitive cyclist, I ask them to give me a specific goal they want to achieve in this area.  No matter what the general reason is, there’s always a specific number 1 reason that is the ultimate motivator.

I once was working with someone and when I asked him to give me his motivator he told me it was to get in better shape.  As we whittled things down to a more specific reason, he told me that his ultimate reason to ride a bike was so he could have more energy to play with his kids.  He also added that he wanted to improve his health so that he could make sure he was around to see them grow older and have families of their own.  Now, whenever he needs help getting out there for a ride…all he has to do is think about his family and he’s out there pounding the pedals.

So what is your number one ultimate reason for riding a bike?  Get as specific as you can and hold that one reason in your mind.  Any time you need extra motivation to get out and ride (or push things a little harder once you’re out there), picture that reason and you’re guaranteed to Make it Happen.