When you do the work of peddling up the hill, you get to reap the benefits and coast.
Does it seem like you’re only pedaling uphill? Do you never get a break? Where is that summit anyway?
Or maybe everything is going your way, all of your dreams are falling into your lap like silent snowflakes? It’s all coasting downhill and easy and magnificent.
This is part of the Every Single Day series leading up to the publication of the book of the same name. If you’re following the ESD philosophy and you haven’t experienced The Coast, know that it will come. Promise.
If it’s all uphill and you’ve been working at for what seems like forever, take a side road off the mountain to catch your breath and regroup. The downhill will reenergize you and let you rest and focus on which hill should be next. Maybe there’s a steep ascent you can find with a long, slow downhill that will bring you slowly but surely to your goal.
When you’re that successful, things have a momentum, and at a certain point you can’t really tell whether you have created the momentum or it’s creating you. — Annie Lennox
If you’re rolling even on the slightest of descents, let your legs rest and let the power of your momentum pull you forward. You’ve worked hard to get to this point, but you can’t just go go go endlessly. Celebrate the smallest of wins, enjoy the wind in your hair and gear up for the next incline.
It is often when night looks darkest, it is often before the fever breaks that one senses the gathering momentum for change, when one feels that resurrection of hope in the midst of despair and apathy. — Hillary Clinton
Diving deeper into the cycling analogy, there are times when you’re pretty certain that you’re riding on flat ground, but one of three things happens:
- It feels like it’s somewhat uphill,
- It feels like it’s just flat,
- It feels like there’s the slightest of downhill.
One secret to living ESD is when the reality is #2 but you feel like it’s #3 and you’re cruising, you’re somehow coasting when it’s actually flat and you shouldn’t be able to do this. A certified ESD Master can turn #1 into #3.
Where are you? Stuck in a low gear and struggling up the mountain? On the backside and flying so fast bugs are between your teeth? Found a leveled-out side road to catch your breath? Or maybe you’ve achieved some momentum and you’re experiencing the beauty and power of that point where you’re moving without much effort at all: The Coast.
- Possible: seek out the flats
- Impossible: uphill forever
- Repossible: coast
Does a certain photo instill a peace (or energy) within you?
The photo below I found months ago but it has come to symbolize peace and warmth. The kind you get after a hard day’s work or even a life fulfilled. It’s warm when it’s cold outside, it’s cozy in a forest of the unknown and it’s home.
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Do the work, create the momentum, and enjoy the slight downhill coast.