The alarm went off at 4:40am. Yikes! Right in the middle of my dream. I knew it was time to get this booty out of bed and head to the gym. For the first time in 5 months I was going to visit an old favorite. Silas’ spin class. 5:15am sharp is the starting time. Music pulsing, hearts pumping, skin dripping. It’s a blast.
Or at least it was a blast the last time I took the class. This morning, not so much. You see, I’m out of practice. I’ve been doing other things in the morning. Specifically sleeping. So I’m just a tad bit out of spinning shape.
If you’ve ever been a spinner, you know what I’m talking about. After you’ve been spinning a month or so you kind of find your groove. You figure out how to push yourself without throwing up. You know what I’m talking about.
But this morning everything was different. I was sooooo slow! My mind said, “Legs, push!”, and the legs surged forward with all the strength of a noodle. And while I was struggling for breath and willing myself forward, I realized there were a few universal ideas I was being reminded of as I reacclimatized myself into spinning shape. I thought I’d share them with you.
1. Your ride is different than the teacher’s and everyone else’s ride. That’s right. You have your own rhythm, your own style and your own timing. Just like in life. Your journey is uniquely your own. It may or may not mirror the journey of your boss or your best friend. What matters is that you figure out what your ride is and ride it with all your heart. It will be the best possible ride. Uniquely yours.
2. The unknown will bring blessings all it’s own. This morning Silas played music I had never heard before. I’m a musical person and I like to think I am sort of connected to what’s happening in today’s music scene. But this morning I only recognized 1 song. Out of the 12 or so songs he played, only 1! I couldn’t believe it! But you know what, I loved it! I embraced the newness of that music and reveled in the energy it helped pump through my increasingly tired legs. The blessing of the unknown kept me engaged to the very end of every song rather than anticipating the ending as I normally would have done.
Often when we are faced with the unknown, our tendency is to avoid, right? New co-worker. Walk down the other hall so you won’t have to engage with her. Or that difficult decision you’re waiting to hear back on. You avoid checking your emails or voicemails because you don’t want to have to hear potential bad news. Or how about what I’m struggling with right now…fear of the unknown. I don’t know how to do some of the technical details required to get my book published, so instead of powering through, I’m avoiding through other activities. (Like this post if the truth be told!) 🙂 Let’s embrace our unknown together.
3. When you’ve done the hard thing, you will feel amazing! Yes. As the hour moved to a close, I was so happy! Spent. Yes. Exhausted. Yup. Empowered. Absolutely! In fact, as I was getting off the bike and grabbing the cleaning papers to wipe it down, I actually thought to myself, “Now, THIS is a way to get my week of to a great start! I’ll bet I get a ton accomplished today.”
I didn’t think that because I was a seriously good rider. No way! I thought that because I did something uncomfortable – several somethings actually…but the end result was what I really wanted. A stronger heart, firmer legs (maybe someday) and most of all, completion of a desired task.
How about you? What can you jump into today to give yourself a spin? How can you challenge yourself to ride your own ride, embrace the unknown and revel in the feeling of accomplishment that will ensue? I’d love to hear your stories!