Heart

Recently, a colleague (initials GB, first time I met him) here at Oracle stopped by my cube after looking at a flyer, that I have stuck to my cubicle wall, announcing the fact that I'm doing the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride.

He said an interesting thing to me regarding "clarity" about why I'm doing this ride.

Every weekend I get together with fellow riders and embark on 40-80-100 mile rides. We all talk a little, stretch for the ride, get our riding instructions from the ride leaders. And, I always felt great during this ritual, but I could not come up with a word as to how I actually felt? I think the word I was searching for - was "clarity".

I look at other riders - some suffering, some very much older than me, some volunteering their time for 20 weeks of training when they could do a second job or simply enjoy their lives. I figured they all have a very big "heart". That's when I realized that I have to do more and better than the San Francisco Aids Foundation asks me. So every day I get up I give my best shot to become a champion rider - so I can support and motivate my fellow riders now and on the actual ride. I want to raise as much much money as I can, since me and my friends have worked very hard to build a good life, and it is time for some action.

A close friend of mine (initials - PM) recently motivated me for my effort, and hurled praise at me for actually doing something like this. Frankly, it took me a long time to do this. I have always been enthusiastic and passionate about racing - the need for speed, and hitting and working out at the gym. So, I figured what really stops us all from doing something like this - we have to connect our passion to a cause - then we will be in auto-mode working hard to support whichever cause we hope to support. So I encourage all of you to try this!

Bill Gates, besides all his money :), is a geek, and he probably reads as much literature on Malaria as an Internal Medicine doctor. That's how he remains passionate about his cause(s).