This week was beautifully hard. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I felt that more than I could have known. I also didn’t know it could be so rewarding. And so fun.

I had a magical week on the Japan mainland with Sophie. Traveling with her was so special. It was a week full of good eats, experiencing Japanese culture, nice hotels and flights, and good uninterrupted quality time together. But now, with her heading back to school, it was time for the solo part of my trip.

I’d been looking forward to this week for so long, and it was a big part of why I wanted to travel in the first place this summer. To spend time biking, training, and working.

However, as I arrived, I felt a pit in my stomach. I really missed Sophie. I started questioning all my decisions. What was I even thinking? What am I doing here? I’m all alone in the middle of the Japanese countryside? What if something happens to me? What am I going to do all the time?

It all went away (temporarily) when I got on the bike. After arriving and picking up my bike from the store with some friendly Aussies, I took off on my first ride (after I hurried to buy travel insurance, later than I should’ve – justtt in case)

It was 5pm already (or 17:00 as they write it here) and I really didn’t feel like riding. But I knew it would be good for me, and that’s why I’m here. So I took off on a short spin around the big volcano (Mt. Yotei) in the middle of Niseko.

It was absolutely stunning. Everything was so green. The roads were so well maintained and quiet. I felt all my worries wash away. Oh yeah, this will do.

The next few days were filled with long days of beautiful rides. Lots of convenience store rice balls, vending machine water stops, post-ride onsens, and all you can eat buffets at my capsule hotel for breakfast and dinner (I can assure you, I was getting my money’s worth out of that food).

Even then, my moods still fluctuated up and down. I really was not productive at getting work done and wasted too much time sitting in my little hotel capsule. Though I did have some incredible sunset walks along the river.

It’s amazing how much perspective and situation can change experience.

There was a route I rode twice, just two days apart. The first day in the pouring rain, in the afternoon after a morning run, with barely any sun. The second time, on my first clear and sunny day, to start the morning. So obviously the second day was better right? Wrong.

In fact, the first day was one of the most fun afternoons I’ve ever had. I was laughing and smiling like a maniac all throughout the ride.

But on the second one, I really wasn’t enjoying it.

Maybe I was burnt out by the last ride (I rode a century on the day in between), but it was amazing to see such a glaring example of how mindset can inform experience.

Recognizing this can be a tool used in so many areas.

I just need to figure out how to harness it and give myself a good mindset in situations. Does that come with some sort of priming breathing exercise? Mediation? Journaling? Just consciously thinking certain thoughts?

I don’t know yet, but I want to explore and experiment.

I read Useful Not True by Derek Sivers (one of my favorite thinkers) this past week and it gives powerful tools that I may be able to use.

The main message of the book is that not many things are concretely true. Including many things we tell ourself.

We can harness this to our advantage.

I want to be more aware of thinking useful thoughts, even if they’re not entirely true. Thoughts like:

• “I feel great today”
• “I love what I’m doing right now”
• “I don’t need water at this moment on this bike ride”

Whether it’s fitness, work, health, relationships. This is a powerful tool to think in ways that are useful to you and help you achieve and experience what you want.

The mind in general is a powerful tool to inform experiences and can change your life. It’s time to make a conscious effort and plan.

More to come on how I will use this.

Back to those two rides, it showed me how much joy and a good mindset can make things better.

On that second day when all I wanted was to get through the ride, I powered up the climb only focused on getting it over with, getting water, and didn’t enjoy the incredible views.

After my ride I went to check my Strava to see how much faster this second climb was.

Surprise! It was slower. Like 10 minutes slower. What?

That’s a great illustration of when people talk about finding work that feels like play to you but work for others.

When you find work that feels like play (like my first ride) then you crush it without even realizing it or feeling the grind.

The first step is finding work that broadly feels like play and gives you energy. The second is keeping that mindset up as often as you can, even tricking yourself on the bad days. Because there will be bad days. No matter how much you love what you’re doing.

Overall, it was a very worthwhile trip. A great learning experience.

It’s good to add more discomfort to your life. As we get older, we have less discomfort in our lives. When you’re not starting new classes every few months, starting new jobs, meeting lots of new friend, it’s easy to get in routine and not grow.

I’m still young enough where this isn’t the case (I mean, I just quit my job), but the discomfort I felt during this trip gave me so much room to grow.

Also, being alone gives you time to discover things about yourself. You can develop a curiosity about yourself and your abilities and what you can tolerate.

You need to know what it feels like to fail or go through hard times and grow from it. Being able to deal with small challenges like this helps you navigate pain and challenges in life that really matter.

As I reflect on this journey, I’m reminded of the value of stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing new experiences. This trip wasn’t just about biking through the scenic routes of Hokkaido; it lead to discovering more about myself and what I’m capable of. It taught me the importance of mindset, the power of perspective, and the joy of immersing oneself fully in the moment. I’m taking away not just memories of beautiful landscapes and big rides, but also deeper insights into how I can live a more fulfilling and resilient life. Here’s to more adventures and the lessons they bring.