Leaning Into Life, Living Doubtlessly

Tamela Rich is one of the most fearless women you’ll meet. No, check that. One of the most fearless people you’ll meet.

In 2010, bankrupt in business, her relationships strained and cracking, she considered chucking it all. Financial ruin had shaken the 48-year-old ghost writer in unspeakable ways. She was literally standing on the ledge. Yes, that ledge.

She did what any human being would do under pressure like that: She strapped a pink bra to a motorcycle and rode across America, raising money for breast cancer research and meeting women who were living courageously with cancer.

Mind you, Tamela Rich wasn’t a motorcycle veteran when she made the leap. She’s a financial writer. She didn’t even know how to ride a motorcycle. Veteran riders — loving friends — warned her of the dangers. Yet despite their worries, she began Leaning Into Life.

Beneath Fear and Psychology

Last week I wrote about the importance of surrendering all concerns and focusing on the play in the moment. I outlined three contexts where business leaders must be doubtless in their pursuit of insight: Personal doubtlessness, organizational doubtlessness and doubtlessness in the marketplace.

Tamela Rich is the embodiment of personal doubtlessness. She chooses to operate in a truly grounded manner, to experience the flow of insight — there, beneath her fear and psychology.

“Did you ever see a motorcycle racer going into a curve with a knee on the tarmac and wonder why ride this way?” Tamela Rich writes.

Leaning into the curve is about faith. It’s about trusting the physics of motorcycle riding, about riding it hard into the corner and knowing it’ll stick. And for Tamela Rich and the women she’s met, it’s about choosing the scariest option and facing demons with faith.

Once you’ve done that, executing a business plan — or a life plan — seems downright manageable.

On June 18, Tamela Rich goes “Kickstands Up” as she embarks cross-country once again: through 20 states, 4 Canadian provinces and approximately 10,000 miles. She’s writing a book about her journey and about women motorcyclists who’ve found joy in motorcycle cancer therapy.  The working title is Live Full Throttle: What You can Learn About Life From Women Who’ve Faced Cancer. You can follow her adventures at her Leaning Into Life blog.

What are you doing about leaning into life and living doubtlessly? How do you dispel fear to focus intently on the play in front of you? What’s your personal insight?