It wasn’t long after I got my driver’s license that I asked my Dad if I could get a motorcycle. He quickly responded, “No!” His response didn’t surprise me – I had been asking for years. He told me it was too dangerous and that I didn’t know how to ride. So, I taught myself. I read books, I talked with friends who rode, and I studied for the driver’s test. I knew all there was to know about motorcycles – in theory.

A few years later, my brother and I traveled Europe. We thought it would be great to rent scooters and drive through the Black Forest in Germany. When we arrived at the rental shop, they were out of scooters, but they did have a motorcycle. My brother turned to me and said, “You know how to ride, right?” “Yes”, I said. So I taught him everything I knew in about 5 minutes. Most people feel that getting rental insurance is a waste of money, but we were smarter than that, we got all the insurance we could buy.

It did not take long to realize that getting insurance was a good thing. I quite literally took a crash course in motorcycle riding technique. I didn’t crash right away; I had learned to ride a bike after all. But eventually my inexperience became quite evident. I inadvertently pulled a wheelie going uphill. As I began to fall backwards my death grip on the handles caused me to increase the throttle. (It was quite an impressive ride, if I had meant it.) I quickly slammed down on the foot break. The front end of the bike crashed to the ground and I was thrown over the handle bars. As I looked back, I saw the motorcycle begin to slide down the mountain.

I’m often asked which I feel is more important, education or experience. (Once again, people are asking the wrong questions.) Education is important, but education is the first step, not the last. I also know that there is one thing that trumps experience – talent. If you’ve chosen who you do business with based on education and experience alone, I’d get insurance.

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THE BOTTOM LINE:

Principal 1: You will, at some point, encounter something you were not prepared for. That experience will shape you. You will gain from it or it will create fear.
‍Principal 2: The words “In Theory” are clouded by doubt. Be afraid.
‍Principal 3: Talent is an intangible. Reward talent. Experience will come.

For business inquiries contact:
Jeff Beaton, Owner/Creative Director

345 MARKETING
PO Box 974 Fort Collins, CO 80522
jeff.beaton@345marketing.com
(970) 416-0985 x201