CHANGING GEARS: A DETERMINED MIND AND MUSCLE POWER UP

“The way we see the problem is the problem.” 
― Stephen R. Covey

There’s a horizon called Easy. It’s unconsciously locked into most people’s dream destinations. You arrive there in comfort, with minimal dis-ease, hardly breaking a sweat or spitting a cuss. It’s the ‘Granny gear’ of all utopias, easy to reach after nominal peddling, pain and gear shifting. Life there is a freewheeling downhill ride.

There’s a price to pay for riding ‘Granny gear’, where the bike chain sits in it’s lowest position. Alignment is incongruous, wear is exacerbated and the load rests heavily on the sum of the parts. The scenery can be dull, the challenge low, and sense of achievement vanilla.

But it’s not like I want to ride The Tour, so why not be a sucker for easy?

When the gear levers suddenly freeze and the desired, pre-programmed shift down into easy fails, the road takes a mid-course correction. The cruise turns into a climb, demanding a mental- muscle gear change or an opt in to coward-arse.  Bail now, phone for help? Or suck it up and wave goodbye to Granny?

With no immediate change in the flat terrain, my quadricepts ache with the notion of pending uphill affliction. Sensory nerves send bogus burn messages to my calves, sweat beads to my forehead and reduced oxygen to my lungs. In this fight or flight scenario it’s time to chose the shit or grit – sandwich.

Wrestling against failure rapidly becoming my truth, I decide to override gloom and crank up determination – enthusiasm is common but endurance rare. With an inventory list of challenges rapidly recognised, there’s the twighlight zone of begrudging acceptance and halfhearted commitment, before making the ultimate pledge to peddling perserverance.

Along the initially gradual incline, the self- talk socialite gets comfortable rewiring messages, reinforcing the rosy and blindsiding the balderdash – a steady conquering of ‘can’t’. Each degree of incline demands further dedication and disregard of discomfort. Remember, there’s no shame in a shove uphill or a precipitous push. The finish line remains fixed, embellished through adjusting the pace of performance.

But I’m not advocating some kind of masochistic motivation or punishing peddle. Merely a slight paradigm shift. A mental-muscle gear change out of easy into effort, from bland to brave, and an engagement with the unfamiliar. An ensuing steady shift from pain to practice, to perserverance, and exasperatingly ultimately also pleasure. Stronger legs, stronger minds lead to unfolding trails with choices and meritorious mountain climbs that will ultimately always, (let’s be real), at some point bring you back to Granny.

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