“When the going is difficult and the wind is in your face, push hard; when the wind is at your back and you are going downhill, push harder.”
This is one of many cycling oriented sayings which have evolved over time on my 100Pedals journey. The primary component associated in this saying is how we maintain momentum.
Some days, life is easy, everything is going well, and we are feeling good. It is easy to get stuff accomplished, to feel good about our life and celebrate all the positive aspects in it.
Other days, it feels as though we are hauling a piano. Things move slowly, everything seems to go wrong, nothing goes right, and we can’t seem to get anything done.
Living on the edge with addiction in our life, the switch from great to disastrous can happen in the blink of any eye. In a recovery program, then kicked out. Clean for months, then a relapse. Doing well and having a job, then arrested and jailed.
When addiction’s chaos shows up, it is really easy to lose momentum, along with hope, and joy. Been there. Walking much of this out right now.
Which is why this saying is so critically important to me. Regardless of how things are going in my life, the most important thing I can do is keep moving forward. I know what activities give me joy, peace, energy, health, balance, courage, strength, guidance, love, and encouragement. Even when the activities which bring me all those positive, healthy experiences, are hard to step into, I still do them.
Why?
- Nothing is harder to get started than something which has stopped.
- The only way to get to a different place is to move into it.
- A different place will not find me, I have to go find it, to seek it out.
When it comes to healthy balance, there are no such things as taking a day off. Either you are celebrating the downhill, downwind days in your life with an easy ride, or you are grinding through the difficult days with a steep uphill climb. Either way, a healthy balanced life requires a continuous commitment to moving forward regardless of where you are on your life’s course.
Think what you are asking of your loved one in their recovery. You are asking them to embrace their commitment to recovery daily, without interruption. One day at a time. But, every single day, especially when it is difficult.
Why is this any different for you as you learn, grow, and evolve on your life’s journey?
Every day, I engage in one or more of the following activities: meditate, bike, pray, journal, study or write. When I don’t, my life falls out of balance very quickly. When I do, I live in healthier balance, perspective, and clarity. And, I find I move from my darker days much more quickly and fluidly.
Whether the wind is at your back or in your face, it doesn’t matter. Discover those activities which bring you clarity and peace; embrace and commit to engaging in the regularly, especially when it is the most difficult. You may not find peace in the moment of that activity, but you will discover the power of having maintained momentum in your most difficult time.
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Want more insights from this blog? Join me on the podcast “100Pedals Talk: Inside the Blog” as I delve deeper into this post and share personal stories or reflections behind the article. (Note: The podcast relating to any particular blog is released on Thursday of the same week this blog is posted.) Subscribe to this podcast on I-Tunes here.
I would love to hear from you. What issues are confronting you today? Where are you currently experiencing fear and shame relating to the struggles in your life? I have some pretty cool tools to guide you and would love to help. Please let me know: dave@100Pedals.com.
Dave Cooke is going on the Road! Learn more about this year’s cross county cycling trip from Charleston, SC to San Diego, CA at Cycling for Recovery 2017.
