You could say I’m impulsive. This may be a bad characteristic for a person in the ad industry, where every move is calculated with estimated number of impressions and cost benefits. But if it’s something you really want and, I’ve been literally dreaming about motorcycles for months — you just have to dive in headfirst. So I signed up for rider academy, and my instructor, Jed, gave me some great advice I would like to share. Here it goes.

“Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes habit.”
This goes for everything: how you treat others, your work ethic, your attitude, your skills — the list goes on. Having the best practices makes you a better rider, and a better marketer. Good habits will make your job easier (and safer) down the road. As the saying goes, practice like you play. Like marketing, motorcycling also takes practice.

“If you can eat it in one sitting, you can go over it.”
In the context of a motorcyclist, if the road kill is small enough to eat in one sitting, maintain speed and get over it. If the road kill is a possum, raccoon or squirrel, you can go over it. If the road kill is a deer or moose, apply emergency maneuver!

For an ad (wo)man, if there is a block in the road, don’t worry — you will get over it. You’ll be on to the next project in a week or two. If your bite is bigger than you can chew, apply emergency maneuver! Adapt. Make it work.

“Do not give up your ability to choose.”
Do not put yourself in a position where you are trapped. Don’t get stuck between two cargo trucks, or the railing and a minivan. Always keep an escape route in your back pocket. This goes along with being proactive and forward-thinking. Always be two steps ahead, or at least try to be.

“One bad egg ruins the carton.”
It only took one guy to fall off his bike to instill the danger of riding for everyone. Don’t be the bad egg, simple as that.

“Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best.”
In motorcycling, there are a million ways things can go wrong: engine failure, flat tire, rain and road construction. In marketing there’s bad press, campaign backlash, execution error. That is why we plan: to get all the kinks out. When we do go live, our planning usually means that everything runs smoothly. As always, we hope for the best.

The idiomatic phrases go on and on, but you get the idea. Life is short. Get a motorcycle.