“Life is like cycling — you have to keep on pedaling!”
Technically you do not have to keep moving; but, you are moving whether you realize it or not. If you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards. Either way, you are not standing still.
Sometimes progress is painfully, frustratingly, agonizingly slow. It is hard to believe that on those days where nothing goes right, that anyone could possibly be moving forward. When everything is going wrong or gets messed up, how can anyone see progress in these failings?
Good question.
Ever witness your hair growing? Do you see it getting longer by the day? Yet, you know that if you let it continue without being trimmed, cut, or shaved (that’s me) it will end up being longer than it was thirty days ago. You cannot see your hair grow, but you know those hair cells are constantly moving and growing. A consistent effort over a period of time. Though you actually can’t see the progress, you can certainly see the results over time.
This is the geology of accomplished life — little bits of continuous pressure will move mountains. Similar to the evolutionary events associated with glaciers, ice, rock and time, the constant pressure from the earth causes things to move. This is our life. We certainly cannot observe the movements and shifts in the geology around us, yet we all know that mountains are moved by the forces of consistently applied force.
As I work on my current project, the 100PedalsRide, I have experienced some of the same frustrations many of you feel when you take things on. Examining my progress from one day to the next, or in relationship to a time frame for completion, or simply looking for some measurable momentum, at times I have been quite disappointed. These disappointments creep into my head and impact progress. On the days I am not feeling energized about the progress associated with my commitment or the mission, I also do not keep the pressure on. I let my frustrations distract me and those distractions lessen my effort. As a result, progress is interrupted. Continuous pressure keeps things moving forward. Intermittent pressure results in a loss of momentum.
The other night I was at a 100Day Challenge Meet-up and I was inspired by the energy of those around me regarding the 100PedalsRide project. Three months ago many of these people were just starting to understand and comprehend the project, now they are my most enthusiastic cheerleaders and supporters. I didn’t really know I was making any progress until I had a room full of people demonstrate how much progress I had made in ninety days. Though I was concerned I was sharing my passion and commitment for this project into an open space where no one was hearing, listening or being inspired, I realized that everyday I was connecting and touching and sharing my story with someone, I had created more enthusiasm for my project. What wasn’t measurable or obvious on a day-to-day assessment, became very apparent when I was able to measure this incredible progress over time.
Your life, your projects, your commitments face similar challenges. They cannot be measured, assessed, or affirmed, in short periods of time. The consistently applied pressure of your passion will move mountains. You cannot stop. You must continue to push even when it seems like nothing is really happening. And, you have to trust in the passion of your vision. Getting to your significant accomplishments is just like riding a bicycle — to get anywhere you have to keep on pedaling!!
