Liz Jansen is an author, speaker, coach, adventurer – and motorcycle aficionado.

Liz Jansen

Motorcycles have much to teach us about life. Take for example, these five lessons on How to Achieve Goals.

1. Set and Focus on Goals.

We go where we look. Essentially, our eyes steer the motorcycle. This fundamental skill pervades all others. This means we want to look in the direction we want to go because our eyes will certainly take us there. This can be very different than the direction we’re headed.

In life, if we don’t keep an eye on our purpose and goals, we tend to drift to whatever catches our attention, experiencing only a fraction of what we’re capable of.

2. Break long-term goals into short term sub-goals.

Constantly scanning our environment while we’re riding prepares us to respond to traffic, road signs and the unexpected – like animals and bouncing balls. At the same time, our ultimate focus is well down the road. This not only gets us where we’re going, it also helps maintain balance.

Breaking down long term life goals into a series of shorter term steps keeps work and personal projects manageable and on track. Recognizing and celebrating successes keeps us motivated and aware of progress towards our ultimate goal.

3. Watch for distractions.

Riding requires our full attention. As mentioned above, we go where we look. So if we allow our eyes to focus on something other than the road ahead, that’s where we’ll go. Dirt, scratches, bugs or fog on our windscreen, visor and glasses impede our ability to see and place us at risk for not reaching our goal.

We all have many demands on our time and personal resources. They may seem important at the time, but if we take a step back and look at them in the grand scheme of things, they lose their urgency and significance. Over time, directing energy to something that’s off course will drain us, making us less effective for those things we’ve decided are priorities.

4. Care for yourself.

Even jurisdictions which don’t require riders to wear a helmet require them to wear eye protection. Our eyes are not built to take wind, bugs, dust and stones, even at slow speeds. There are some senses we can lose and still operate a motorcycle. Sight is not one of them.

Nurturing our mind, body and spirit keeps us healthy and fit. While this includes a healthy intake, it also means protecting our Self from people and situations that can hurt us. Being mindful of what these are allows us to be proactive. While we won’t avoid everything, we can direct our energy on moving forward rather than damage control.

5. Adjust course as necessary.

While riding through curves are exciting, we adjust our speed if we can’t see far enough around the corner or beyond the area of illumination at night. We need time to react and if we’re pushing the envelope beyond where we can see, we’re placing ourselves at risk.

Our adventure gene loves to be exercised yet it does need to be tempered by reality. Not only do we forfeit the beauty and enjoyment of the present when we get ahead of ourselves or rush into situations we’re not ready for, we also risking our physical and emotional well-being.

Liz Jansen creates events, retreats and workshops, focused on personal growth, leadership and adventure – and motorcycles are often included. She has appeared on TV and radio shows and written for numerous print and online publications, including her own website. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Print or kindle copies of Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment can be purchased on Amazon.