“Ride my own race.” This is one of the most common sayings in motocross. Fans of the sport hear it just about every weekend. It is one of the simplest and easiest to understand, but difficult to apply. We’ve already talked about how important a good start is in part 1, but now we’ll talk about what to do once you’ve started.
It’s easier than ever to get distracted these days, and the news stories are all begging for a click. Similarly, a motocross rider is surrounded by thousands of cheering (or booing) fans and somewhere between 21-39 other motorcycles. It’s very loud and a lot is going on. It’s important to tune out the noise and get in the zone and focus on themselves.
Being Mentally Strong
Motocross is a technically demanding sport. The dirt changes from lap to lap and braking bumps form, ruts develop and the lines change. A small mental lapse can mean a crash, injury or losing positions. It is imperative to be completely concentrated on their lines, breathing and heart rate. Riders who do this successfully tend to race forward and worry less about who’s behind them. With a good result, we often hear the refrain in the post race interview: “I rode my own race.”
“Stewart following the game plan… grab the holeshot, you can ride your own race…”
How this relates to money is very simple – don’t compare! Don’t worry about anyone else but yourself. Who cares about the Jones’s! Focus on where you are and what you are doing and that is usually when things go better.
Avoid Information Overload
Mr. Money Mustache often talks about this concept when he talks about the “Low Information Diet.” He doesn’t pay attention to politics, the daily stock prices, the state of the economy, instead focusing on what he is currently doing and trusting the world will stay to together the way it is, which is the most common scenario. Warren Buffett seems to take a similar approach.
The best riders and investors worry about what they have control over. Work from where you are, get your head in the game and stay the path. It’s okay to put the blinders on to what anyone else is doing.
Play to Your Strengths
I have a friend I used to work with, and found over time that we had very similar financial goals and plans. As we talked, we were trying the do the same thing in completely opposite ways. I am an index fund investor and am very frugal. My friend is into real estate and maximizing income through side hustles, but isn’t really into living frugally.
We’ll both likely have the same result as long as we focus on what we know and work our plans. There are many avenues to financial independence, so get started quick! Get the holeshot, and ride your own race!
Conclusion
It’s easy to get distracted by all the people around you, but none of that really matters. It just comes down to you, your numbers and your goals. Focus on those and get rid of distractions.
