This picture is at the start of our bicycle trip across the nation from San Diego to St Augustine, Florida. The bike I am standing behind is a recumbent trike that I built with help from friends to replace the normal 2 wheeled bicycle I had been riding for the last several years. The reason for the change was primarily because it is way more comfortable and because of the three wheels I didn’t have to worry about balance and falling over. I was quite excited about it. One week into the trip I took the trike apart and strapped it to the top of the camper, and bought a Trek touring bicycle to finish the trip on. The absence of shoulders on the road, which required riding out in the road and traffic,  the difficulty of straddling rumble strips which also required riding out in the road, and the slowness of climbing hills frustrated me to the point of making this adjustment away from what I had hoped would work. The bicycle has been working great and I have also adjusted to and overcome the butt pain, neck pain, and hand pain that is generally part of riding a regular two wheeled bicycle. In life successful people have learned how to make adjustments in order to accomplish their goals. They aren’t wimpy, quitters who are inconsistent or unreliable, but they have acquired the wisdom to know when to adjust, make the decision quickly, and then to persevere in the new direction without to much second guessing about the change.  The most important area of life to make adjustments in is in relationships with people. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament said, “I have become all things to all people in order that I might win some, to the Jews I live like a Jew and to the Gentles like a Gentile”. In another passage he says, “So far as it depends on you be at peace with all men” or put in another way, “work hard at getting along with anybody and everybody” . On this trip we have met all kinds of people, with all kinds of personalities, and all kinds of opinions. It would be very easy to fight with and argue with most of them. In our world today there is a lot of fighting. In our government there is a lot of fighting. In our families there is a lot of fighting. There is a point that taking a stand on something is necessary, stating our opinion on what we think is right and true, but most often wisely making adjustments and practicing deference will result in much greater change. Leaders make a difference in the world because they know how to influence people, and you influence those people that you treat well, are nice to, honor and respect, and adjust to with patience.