By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – LaPlace native Kyle Olasin wants to spread a message encouraging the public to live and think positively.
“I wanted to find a way to remind people to find the good in life. We all need that reminder from time to time. I have my bad days. You have your bad days. We all face our own adversities, challenges and obstacles. I believe the best way to overcome that is to look at finding the positives in things,” said Olasin.
“From my own standpoint, I wanted to work on improving myself. And then I figured, why not have other people come along with me?” he added.
Of course, the internet is the perfect vehicle for advancing the positive-thinking mindset. The 25-year-old began laying the foundation for his movement, Mind.Set.Go, in January by starting a blog and website. Olasin also began manufacturing T-shirts emblazoned with the movement’s logo and motto, “Think Positive,” in July. His organization is still in the beginning stages, but he hopes to build it to a point to which he can begin to support other initiatives that reinforce his message. Each cause that Mind.Set.Go supports will be designated a specific color, an idea he calls “Colors for Causes.”
“If it catches on, it catches on. Hopefully it stays in your mind. If not, we did our job of putting it out there,” he said.
With plans for other merchandise in the works, Olasin said he will donate a portion of sales to whichever cause the movement is currently supporting.
The new organization has already gotten off to a decent start in supporting other positive initiatives. Olasin recently completed a three-day, three-state, 270-mile cycling trip on July 21 to raise awareness and financial support for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis research, with former Patriots Super Bowl XXXIX Champion Eric Alexander as a member of Team Good Folks. The event was called the Tri-State Trek.
Team Good Folks had partnered with the Gleason Initiative Foundation to raise money for former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason’s Team Gleason House for Innovative Living. Other TGF members were: creator Grif Fos, Magan Munson, Peter Collins, Daniel Moore and Roz Bialcza. The goal of each team member was to raise $1,800 toward finding a cure for ALS, and each raise $2,000 for the Team Gleason House for Innovative Living.
Amazingly, Olasin participated in the ride from Newton, Mass., to Greenwich, Conn. with no previous long-distance biking experience. Olasin said the first day’s ride was a grueling 105 miles, complete with hills, sharp turns and temperatures topping 90 degrees. Riders could take breaks every 20 miles, or about two hours of riding. Olasin attributes his endurance to his college baseball career and a refusal to quit, but admitted that it was rough going.
“I was riding for all those people with ALS who fight on a daily basis. My big thing was that I wanted to finish no matter what. It was a big accomplishment because from the time I decided I was doing it to the the time I actually got there, that was all that was on my mind. I didn’t want to come back and tell them that I couldn’t do it. That wasn’t an option to me,” he said.
In the end, the big finish was well worth the muscle cramps. Olasin said he continues to be grateful to everyone who supported him during and after the race. He said that he and his fellow riders were able to push themselves as hard as they did because they had the support of others.
“It was a big sense of joy, not only for myself but for everybody.  I just want to thank everybody, from the people all the way up in Boston to our parish, who really got behind us. It was a huge boost and motivation for everybody that was riding to see everybody get together as one and support us,” said Olasin.
“Whenever you have support of people, it really helps you push. The team concept is really big to me because as a team I believe you can accomplish much more than you can on any individual level,” he continued.
The ride is over, but Olasin is still working on organizing more events. He hopes his actions can motivate someone else to do something positive.
“I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and hoping other people will see that and want to do the same thing,” he said.
Read more about Olasin’s bike journey on the Mind.Set.Go blog at http://mindsetgo.wordpress.com, or visit the website at http://mind-set-go.com/. To contact Team Good Folks, email Grif Fos at grif@goodfolksmovement.com, follow them on twitter at @GoodFolksMovmt or on Facebook under Good Folks Movement.