This week’s focus: A few years ago, I cycled the coast-to-coast route, from my home town of Morecambe to Bridlington. The route is around 170 miles and we cycled it over two days.
As we set off, I was feeling fresh and fit and looking forward to the day ahead. However, I soon found myself lagging behind the main group. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t catch up and the other riders slipped further into the distance.
It felt like there was no power left in my legs. I was so dispirited. As I arrived into the beautiful village of Settle, I was over 20 minutes behind the others. I considered quitting and told my friend Richard of my plans.
Richard looked at me and then went over to my bike, squeezing my tyres. He strolled to our support van, got out a pump and started pumping them up. Without saying a word, he completed the task, walked back to me and gave me a couple of friendly pats on the cheek.
Somewhat embarrassed and muttering about the soreness in my legs, I remounted my bike. The difference, however, was immediate. I rode off with the group and was able to finish the route without too much further trouble.
Your ability to succeed is not simply a result of the effort you put in, or even your underlying skills and capabilities. The truth is that you will only succeed if you set yourself up to do so.
A productive working environment, delegating work to others that you don’t personally need to do, effective diary and time management, competent administrative support and the appropriate use of technology are your equivalent of well-pumped tyres.
Which of these factors do you need to work on to help you work faster, achieve more and accelerate your success?
Off The Record: The Pushbike Song by The Mixtures
Put on the speed and I tried catching up
But you were pedaling harder, too
Riding along like a hurricane honey
Spinning out of view
© Stuart Cross 2018. All rights reserved.