Be Kind. Be Inclusive. Be Awesome.
We wanted to convey our message in a simple way. Our ultimate goal at any event is to be sure we are contributing to making a positive impact in the community.
Core Values
During 2020 and the beginning of 2021 I was struggling to find where I belong. This was mostly for my “professional” life, but also my personal life - as if those two could truly be separated.
I took in a suggestion to go through the program in the book "Unstoppable" by Tracy Timm. While it is set up to help discover a career where you feel fulfilled and your best talents are put to use, it goes through many enlightening self discovery steps that can be applied to life in general.
There are several chapters dedicated to defining and understanding your true nature. The concept of core values is mentioned early in this process. Years ago I identified that my driving values are respect, fairness, loyalty, and kindness. But how does this move from words and concepts to how I live my life?
To put my core values into terms I could embody day to day, I sorted out all the things that are important to me, grouped them in to categories, and then created labels. The key to this was to connect labels and people/characters to my values that can inspire me.
I am a visual person, so I created this graphic. I chose people and characters that mean something to me. I hung this on our refrigerator as a reminder of the values I want to embody.
Some of my references may be obvious, while others may not make sense to the outside world. But that’s ok, because they make sense to me. Cookie Monster represents maintaining my health because for me it is all about balance. Cookie Monster has been known to chomp on some fruits and veggies in between all his beloved cookies. I have muddled through several mental and physical health issues. It wasn’t until I started focussing on balance and realized my mental and physical health are equal parts of my overall health that I started to truly maintain my health. So like Cookie Monster, I don’t eat cookies all the time, but surely enjoy them when I do.
Identifying my core values helps to drive me forward. Decisions become easier to make when I know what my driving forces are in a practical way. As for where I belong, I still don’t know. But knowing what I want to be about helps things become a little more clear.
Have you thought about what your core values are? How do you make them come to life? What happens when you get off track? Just some things to think about.
The B Team!
Born out of all things “B”
Like everything else you’ll find on this site, nothing pro or official about this. My husband, Jon, and I created these jerseys so that we could have some apparel that spread our message. To be clear, this is not an actual team. We also do not think “B Team” means second fiddle.
Our main purpose in creating the B Team was to hopefully make more people feel included and seen in cycling and in our community. Everyone has a place, everyone deserves to be included - no questions asked.
The jersey was made as a birthday gift to Jon. He chose the colors and I created the design. The back speaks for itself. The front is a compilation of images that start with B. We hope to have fun in all that we do, and these jerseys are no exception. We gave some away with the first production run. If you’re interested in being part of the B Team, let me know!
Good vibes doesn’t mean no bad times
“Good vibes only,” can be off-putting. It can possibly imply that we should only focus on the good or the positive and push away the rest. While that may be how some people use the phrase, it is not my intention.
As humans with so many feelings and life experiences, there is no way to avoid the bad times. We can’t just say, “Stay positive!” to make pain and suffering go away. If we only focus on the good in life and ignore the bad, we miss the complete picture. I’m also not suggesting that we dwell on the negative or avoid asking for help when we are down or in need.
For me, the idea of Good Vibes Only applies to what I want to put out in the world. I want to be someone who contributes goodness, kindness, empathy, and openness to the people around me. I hope to always be a safe space for others, no matter their condition, background, choices in life, no matter what they may be going through.
I can’t say that I have always been great at putting positivity in to the world. I have been the negative one, the one who has brought others down with me. And from this experience I have learned that I do not want to carry myself in that way.
As my relationship with Jon grows, we have learned a lot about how to care for each other. It takes time to learn how to communicate, especially when love is involved. One thing that has helped me immensely is when I am upset or hurt and Jon looks at me and says, “It’s ok to be not ok. I’m here.” I can’t think of a better example of what Good Vibes Only means to me.
Paint by numbers is incredibly fun and relaxing.
Do you enjoy quotes for inspiration?
This is a summarized quote from Kurt Vonnegut. I like the concept, as it reminds me that the joy is in the doing and not to focus on a perfect end product.