Many of you know that Andy and I took up cycling this year, and we’re preparing to do a 150 mile ride through the Lakes District, called the C2C in June. So we’ve been cycling most weekends, and occasionally during the week as well. Well…I started, and then got a bit distracted over the past few weeks…

So last weekend, Andy, myself, and two good friends of ours took a ferry across to the Isle of Wight, where we stayed for the long weekend and participated in a cycle tour of the island. The boys signed up for the 100km ride and us girls signed up for the 50km ride. Well, that’s what I thought I was signing up for… (and by the way, that’s me in the photo there, smiling BEFORE the ride).

What with being so involved in my business in recent months, and because our friends are such capable planners, I decided I was happy to let them plan the holiday and I’d just go with the flow. So I didn’t look into the cycle route to see how tough it would be, and I happily agreed to the plan to cycle to and from the actual cycle event. And I never really took time to think about my expectations for the event or to imagine how much further it would be compared to the other cycle routes we’ve been doing. A part of me thought “Cath, you should give this some thought and make sure you’re prepared,” and another part of me thought, “I’ll just go with the flow – I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

And I discovered that sometimes it’s best not to know what the future holds…

because then you’re more likely to embrace it. Since the event was 10km away from our accommodation, we ended up doing a 70km cycle, and it turned out to be a rather hilly route as well. If I had known just how far it was, how many hills there would be, and how tough it would be, I’m not sure I would have signed up for it. And perhaps more importantly, if I’d known how many more hills were to come, as I was busy slogging up a each hill, I’m really not sure I would have been able to continue. But because the route wasn’t familiar and I had no idea how many more hills there were or how much further I had to cycle (I didn’t even have a mile-counter), I could keep going, under the illusion that perhaps this was the last hill, and perhaps the finish line wasn’t far off.

The toughest part

The toughest part of the whole tour was the last 10km from the finish line to our accommodation. And I don’t think it was just because I was tired. It was because I had a mental picture of how far I still had to cycle, and I knew what route and hills it would involve. I could anticipate the future pain, and my “this-is-the-last-hill-and-it’s-just-around-the-corner” illusion was broken.

Other hills in my life

This got me thinking about other stuff I’ve done, and the effect of preparation, planning and anticipating the future. Sometimes planning and anticipating the future can be an effective success strategy. But I think that, when it comes to the bigger stuff that takes you out of your comfort zone, sometimes it’s best not to know how tough it’s going to be. If I had known what it would take to start my own business, and the relentlessness of the hills I’d have to traverse, I’m not sure I would have taken the leap. I think I would probably have postponed it and told myself I needed to prepare further. And further preparation would have gotten me even more familiar with the potential obstacles and hills I’d have to overcome and make me think I have to take even more time to be prepared, and who knows – perhaps I’d never have gotten to it.

Is regret holding you back from the life you want?

This is how regret prevents some people from ever doing what they’d love to do – they mentally go out into the future and imagine tough times, and this breaks their spirits and they give up on their dreams.

Are you slogging up a hill right now? What happens when you tell yourself that you’ll probably never get to the top of your hill, or that there are endless tough hills between where you are now and where you want to be? And what happens when you imagine that this is the last hill, and that, just around the corner is your “finish line” – the goal or experience you’ve been going after? Can you feel your motivation lift?

We never really know what the future holds – so you may as well stop trying to guess and anticipate it, and just get on your bike and deal with the hill that’s in front of you right now. And if you have to make up a future, then at least make up something that makes you feel better about going there. And while you’re climbing your hill, breathe, check out the surroundings, notice what works well and what doesn’t work as well, adjust accordingly, and keep on keepin’ on.

What hills are you climbing right now, and how do you keep on keepin’ on?

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