Be the change : Jeff Moser, Carson City’s Bike Guy.
“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi
I’m always so moved by regular people making a difference in the world. I know how hard it is to leave the house, let alone try to be the change they want to see it in the world.
Because I find these folks so inspiring, I thought I’d start a feature here talking about people who work to change the world by being the change they want to see. Feel free to nominate someone you know. I’m happy to highlight these brave people here.
Today, I’d like to introduce you to Jeff Moser, the Bike guy. I met Jeff through Plurk, although we have a lot of things in common. I always admired his rain, snow, sleet or heat riding of his bike to work. Only lately did I discover what an advocate he has become for bike riding. I’ll let him tell his story in his own words.
“I was out on the road, and saw the bumper sticker, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” It really got me thinking (how often does a bumper sticker do that?). This is about the time we decided to sell our house, and move back to Carson City, Nevada, just 2 miles from where I worked. We were considering moving to some place that was bicycle friendly, but decided it was easier to make the short move, and make the changes in our own community. About the same time, I met a guy that moved into town who is gung-ho about building mountain bike trails. Together, we are the perfect storm of what needed to happen here in Carson City. There are others here that share our feelings, but nobody has taken it to the degree that we two have.
“I’ve always been into bikes, but got involved with advocacy when I moved back to Carson City in 2007. I joined Muscle Powered (our local advocacy group), and within a year I was president…nobody wanted to do it! We’ve had many successes, and that’s what motivates me to keep going. I think before, I was waiting for “them” to do something, never knowing who them was. I found out it was me! It’s been great getting to know all the city politicians and seeing how easy it is to make change in my community. All you got to do is get involved…
“And if you do it, people see you doing it, and want to try it themselves. On my old commute, it was a 32 mile round trip, but I’d see guys out riding to work when I was stuck in my car. I wanted to be them. Just seeing these people do it got me motivated.
“Funny meeting people out on the trail and around town now. They know me as the bike guy…you’re the bike guy, right? At first I was embarrassed, because there are certainly people that are better riders or more hardcore, I’m just a regular guy. But they don’t have good PR campaigns…and probably even more true, they’re not interested in sharing…it’s personal for them. I like to help, teach, and motivate.
“These days though, I’m happy with my title and have even become more accepting that yeah, maybe I am that guy!”
To be clear, Jeff works in IT. He rides his bike to and from work and regularly gets out at lunch time. His photos of his lunch time adventures always inspire me to get out more. You can find Jeff on Facebook and read about his biking adventures there.
Don’t miss your happiness!
“Plenty of people miss their share of happiness,
not because they never found it,
but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.”
William Feather
Happy Monday! Enjoy it!
Our greatest glory
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
- Confucius
Happy Monday!
In the middle : Who inspires you?
One thing I do when I get in the middle of a project is listen to inspirational talks on CD (right now Jim Rohn’s The Challenge to Succeed
) while I work out. When I feel that drowning sensation of the middle of the middle (usually in the middle of the day), I turn to inspirational videos. There’s always something awesome at Ted.com. Recently, I’ve found some amazing inspiration in an unlikely place – Good Morning America.
Last week, Good Morning America ran a series of six or seven minute videos on who inspired the correspondents on the show. They are fabulous. Grab a tissue and take a look.
Sam is inspired by his incredible sister Teresa.
Robin is inspired by an amazing program called Urban Prep Academy.
George is inspired by this incredible Head of Homeless programs in Lawrence, Kansas.
Juju Chang is inspired by Gold Medalist and barrier breaking runner Wilma Rudolph.
Bill Weir is inspired by Ed Stafford and his 2 year journey up the Amazon River.
I am inspired by Charles Dickens, the serial fiction master. His journey through life inspires me to risk more, try harder, and write better.
Who inspires you?
How’s your heart?
This is an image by Banksy, the street artist, general annoyance of authority, and amazing person. What I love about Banksy is that he doesn’t wait for a platform. He doesn’t wait until he has money or when he’s retired or when he can get it perfectly.
Instead, he acts and acts big.
He’s funny.
And poignant.
This last one was created at an old Packard plant in Detroit. Because Detroit is falling apart, a non-profit art gallery stole this image to protect it. So here you have a graffiti artist creating something that an art gallery wants to protect.
For more of these awesome images, go to his website. Or see his movie, Exit through the Gift Shop.
More than anything – get moving!
Trust…
“We must trust the people to hear and see,
both the good and the bad
and to choose the good.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Happy Monday!
Annoy away!
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,
but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”
–Herm Albright
I think I’m finally getting back in the groove of things after being gone. I think… I hope…
Happy Monday!
Where will you leap?
This is an amazing video (8 min) of the 10 best jumps. If you have limited time, go to the end and watch the last one.
What amazing leaps will you take this week?
Happy Monday!
