I got inspired to write this today...hopefully you all don't think it's too preachy of me. These are the ideas that inform my own approach to spinning and I think they bear sharing:

1. Learn at least a little bit of everything, even if you think it's silly. Especially if you think it's silly. I can just about guarantee that the technique you think looks sloppy and awful today will produce something in a few months that looks like magic to you and you'll have to go back and learn the basics anyway.

2. Never rest on your laurels. If you want to stay relevant to the conversation, you have to constantly be willing to explore new avenues and challenge yourself with new ideas and breakthroughs. What you did yesterday only mattered yesterday. What have you done today?

3. Respect is something earned--it is never a given. Don't ever walk into a situation with the expectation that you have someone's respect already. Whether the first time or the fiftieth time you talk to someone, you must always treat their respect as a valuable commodity to be earned with hard work and dedication (please note, no matter who you are that this is a two-way street). The moment you take it for granted you will lose all of it.

4. Always read a post out loud to yourself before sending it. If this seems like it will take too long, you haven't thought nearly enough about what you're about to say.

5. Spin every day. All the videos in the world can't teach you something if you don't actually physically work through it. Do it to explore. Do it to vent. Do it to focus. Whatever gets you to practice, just do it. It's also healthier for you than being inside all day.

6. Ask yourself why you're spinning. Do you want to be a superstar that everyone loves and is in awe of? If so, take up snowboarding or skateboarding instead. There are too few of us for any of us to have egos this big. Odds are you'll never make two dimes spinning, so do it because you love it or don't do it at all.

7. Learn about something every day that has nothing to do with spinning. Be it world politics, archaeology, sports, or your significant other's favorite dessert. A diverse mind is a healthy mind.

8. If you're going to ask for feedback on something you've done, be prepared for some of it to be negative. If you're not ready to hear what you could do better, you're not ready to share it. Know that once you do share, it belongs to the whole community, not just to you. True sharing is a gift for everybody, not an enhancement to your own prestige.

9. Find other people to spin with and do so as often as possible. The most rewarding aspect of this pursuit is finding other people who share your passion and getting to experience it with them. You'll have the greatest friendships, conversations, and insights you'll ever find in your life.

10. Have fun! :) To quote one of my favorite philosophers: "Life is too serious to be taken seriously." We have an unbelievably fascinating but also ultimately silly hobby. You're not looking for the Higgs Boson or founding a religion that'll dominate the world for 10,000 years (well, unless you're Burning Dan ;). Above all else, don't take yourself too seriously.