Each of us has an important role in life ... even the Bicycle Repairman.

I'm a real Monty Python fan and one skit called "Bicycle Repairman" has some interesting parallels for us in business.

In the skit, we see superman walking down the street in his splendid costume.

Then he stops to catch a bus, but surprisingly, the bus driver is a superman too, in an identical costume.

Then, when he turns to walk back to his seat, we discover everyone else on the bus is a superman too.

We go on into town, and there we find that every person in every store is a superman.

Then we see a superman riding his bicycle, but it begins to wobble badly, and then he crashes.

The bicycle needs repaired, but superman doesn't know how.

Then the call goes out for Bicycle Repairman.

Everywhere, supermen are frantically searching for the hero. In a crowded laundromat, a group of supermen are waiting for their costumes to wash, when another superman announces the emergency.

One of the supermen looks around to see if anyone is watching him, and then he disappears into a dark recess, where he turns into Bicycle Repairman, with his brown coveralls and tool chest. All the supermen are excited to see him, and he goes and repairs the bicycle.

The message of the skit is, of course, that all of us have an important role in our lives ... we don't have to be superman. We can play some other essential role, such as Bicycle Repairman instead!

Think about it!

If you and a group of friends are unable to proceed on your bike ride due to a flat tire, do you really want some superman to rescue you with his pickup, ending the trip, or do you want to be the hero and to fix the tire yourself, so you can continue on your ride?

The ability to solve your own problems is very, very powerful.
It gives you freedom to do whatever you want.

There's a tendency to feel that some people are masters while others are natural klutzes. However, ever one of us has the ability to be a master at something. Every master had to start learning at one time, and proceed to where they are right now.

In acquiring skills, two essential ingredients are necessary: knowledge and practice.

No one can help you practice ... that you have to do yourself.
No one can help you learn ... that you have to do yourself.

There can be a role for an outsider to provoke, confront, support and convey their knowledge and understanding of their experiences to you.

You can improve your own opportunities to learn by becoming a careful observer.

Good luck with advancing your skills!