Over the weekend I tackled the most challenging physical activity I have ever undertaken - a bicycle ride with over 16,000 feet of climbing. (That's me in the photo above on one of the downhills.) To give some perspective, my ride was the equivalent of cycling from Manhattan (New York City) to the very end of Long Island (the Montauk Point Lighthouse) and climbing more than the height of Europe’s tallest mountain (Mont Blanc at 15,781ft) on the way.
It wasn’t a single climb. Rather the ride was a series of peaks and valleys; a slow , followed by the speedy rush of a long downhill. It took me the entire day to finish the ride – with seven (much needed) rest stops along the way to stretch and refuel. The day was DIFFICULT, BEAUTIFUL, and FULFILLING.
That’s the theme of this post – that we should tackle difficult, hard - even impossible - things. Although “what is difficult” is different for everyone, the rewards for meeting these challenges are the same: self-confidence, self-esteem, joy, gratitude – the list could go on.
Whether it’s a conversation (a phone call to a client you’re dreading or an email to your boss), or a decision (quitting a job or asking someone on a date), or a physical challenge (your first marathon or learning to swim) – choosing to stand and confront your fears is heroic and iterative – doing it once makes the next time easier. And, even if you fail, you still get the benefit of learning.
By Saturday evening I learned that I am stronger than I expect. Multiple times during the ride I wanted to take a shorter route, or even quit, as my legs ached and grew weaker. When those thoughts entered my mind, I dug deeper and chose to keep going – my goal was the whole 125 miles and nothing shorter.
Hills on a bike ride (or in life) don’t last forever, and coasting downhill isn’t permanent either. We have to learn how to enjoy both. Taking on difficult things is the uphill grind of life. Speeding down the other side is the reward for making it to the top. The combination makes life beautiful and fulfilling.