We are devastated to learn that Nicky Hayden has succumbed to his injuries sustained during his cycling accident in Italy. MotoDuo would like to extend our deepest condolences to Nicky’s fiancé, family, and friends. The United States has lost one of its finest athletes with his passing. When he won the 2006 MotoGP World Championship title, he became the seventh, and to date, the last, American to win the championship title.

Nicky was certainly fortunate in the sense that he was able to follow his dreams and his passion before he passed. It is vitally important to an individual’s happiness to follow their dreams and relent to their ambitions. It’s equally important to do this while we still have the ability to. We simply cannot listen to the people who think we should live our lives based on what could happen. This is not to say that risks shouldn’t be assessed and considered with the utmost care.

Marisa and I often consider and discuss the potential repercussions of the things we do. For us, the benefits far outweigh the potential risks. We refuse to get to the end of our lives and subsequently be forced to say, “I wish I had…” Others may not draw the same conclusions when presented with similar circumstances, certain actions may be too dangerous. That’s fine, it’s not a contest, the point is, you NEED to get out and get living before it’s too late! You, and you alone, are the person that’s tasked with making the decision to pounce on your life goals.

Nicky Hayden regularly took cutting edge motorbikes to their limit during his career as a professional racer. He literally rubbed knees and elbows with competitors while vying for that lead position. He consistently pushed his personal limits and the limits of his motorcycle. Of course, all these things are dangerous, any one of these things COULD have been what ended his career or indeed his life. However, Nicky didn’t let the thought of what could happen keep him from achieving his goals or chasing his dreams. He relented to his ambitions and let them drive him instead of fear. His return on these risks was a successful career as a motorcycle racer and the 2006 World Champion title under his belt. All this is to say that Nicky’s passing had pretty much nothing to do with his risky profession, he was simply the victim of an accident that could have happened to anyone. Life is impossible to predict accurately, we may have a good idea of what will be happing tomorrow or the next day but there are never any guarantees.

Nicky’s life being cut short is an utterly terrible thing but I’m confident in saying that he wouldn’t have wanted us to dwell on the tragedy; rather, we should remember him as someone who gave one hundred percent to be the best at what he did. We should remember that his drive and ambition broug

ht him that MotoGP World Championship win. Finally, we should remember that even though there were serious risks, Nicky gave it his all. He didn’t let his fears, be they rational or irrational, hold him back.

If you want something, you must go and take it! So many fall into the trap of making excuses or thinking of reasons why they can’t do things. While some reasons for failing to get started on the journey towards your life goals may be valid, it’s important to learn how to differentiate between legitimate obstacles and obstacles you may be fabricating to avoid facing potential failure in the future. This is what I mean by “relent to your ambitions.” We can’t become too afraid to fail along the way or we will never end up setting off in the first place. You have to give in and let your ambitions drive you! If you spend your whole life fretting over what could happen and hesitating to act; you’ll likely wake up one day to realize your life has passed you by and your opportunity to follow your passion with it.

Here’s to The Kentucky Kid, a person that rode all out towards his dreams! You will be sorely missed.

Godspeed Nicky.