Adrenaline Rushes? They’re Required.

Yeah, I’m a little bit afraid that we’re out of control now
There’s a turn ahead and I think we might roll now
Is it time, it may be
Though it seems a little early to me

Say a prayer to your god
And it’s gonna even out to the weak in the heart
Please hold on while the train is moving
I said please hold on while the train is moving

“Please Hold On While the Train is Moving”-Old 97’s

back in the day

One of the things I loved about cycling and being a sprinter was the reality that you were always a little bit out of control. A bit of a flick at the wrong moment and you were on your ass before you could react. Banging handlebars and helmets and elbows with somebody on two wheels at 40+ miles per hour comes with its inherit risks.

It was also an adrenaline rush unlike any other.

After The Crash, when I couldn’t get back to racing because of my back and brain, the thing I craved the most was the adrenaline. Couple that with a bit of an invincibility complex after surviving The Crash, and it’s amazing I didn’t get myself into more trouble. I distinctly remember one time specifically, days before my second back surgery, that I was going way too fast in my old Subaru WRX on the highway and as I was passing a truck, the truck shredded a tire right in front of me. Between my closing speed and the way the debris came towards the car, I had the “this is it–it’s coming through the windshield, goodbye world” thought process—only to have it ricochet off the hood and straight over the car allowing me to come away unscathed.

I’ve slowed down, mostly, when behind the wheel. And after that incident, I only drove the Jeep for a couple of months because I couldn’t get myself into as much trouble that way.

However, I know I now get my adrenaline rush out of work. That success is the best drug in the world. It was even a thrill when we were almost dead and could have easily justified walking away.  People ask me if I mind always working, and the answer is, it never feels like work. It’s what I enjoy, it’s what has allowed me to get on my feet and grow it over the last couple of years. As we examine and make plans to go into two (or three….) new markets in 2016, I know I’m geared up for a lot of new thrills along the way. The best thing about it is I’m now working with a bit of a safety net as these new markets will be fully funded before we head into them, so it’s a little bit different operating mentality than what I had to do to make it to this point.

how I get my adrenaline fix these days

I’m surrounded by entrepreneurs all the time, some of which have brilliant ideas, some of which have ideas I don’t envision working–but they’ve all got my support and I believe in them because they believe in whatever it is and I know better than anyone that when you have what you think is a great idea, sometimes you just need someone else to believe in it as well. It’s why I never hesitate to take a meeting with someone who has an idea or concept that they want to bounce off of me. I remember vividly how isolating those early stages of a startup can be, regardless if you’re doing it alone or if you have co-founders, if you’re a bachelor or have a wife to come home to offer her support–that isolation is what breaks the dreams of so many passionate ideas.

The entrepreneurial and social entrepreneurial world is full of adrenaline junkies, conservative visionaries with an idea, eccentric personalities and individuals from all walks of life.

The bond for most of us?

We’re all just “a little bit afraid that we’re out of control now“.

But if you’re not just a little out of control, how else do you get that adrenaline fix?

Please hold on while the train is moving,