As I was stretching in the little park across from my house after my morning run I watched a little boy of about 6 years struggling to ride his two-wheel bike. He would put one foot on the pedal, try to get enough balance to put the other foot on the other pedal, would push forward turning the wheel once or twice and then fall off. He did that several times. I finally said: "You know, there is a bit of an uphill this way, maybe if you walked your bike to the top of the hill, turned it around and tried to pedal down the hill it would be easier." He nodded and proceeded to walk his bike up the small hill. I watched him get on again and this time he stayed on and pedaled all the way to his home (a few hundred feet away) with a smile of triumph on his face. His dad called out: " Stop! The breaks are on the handles." When you learn to go you also need to learn how to stop...
I thought this little snapshot was a good metaphor for life. Sometimes we struggle to push forward and it is an uphill battle. Some of us persist and get back on that bike again and again determined to make it up the hill while others give up. But more importantly, while we are investing all this time and effort to ride up the hill we get so focused on that immediate goal that we may not see another way, an easier way.
Somewhere deep in my psyche I have internalized the lessons my parents have taught me: "Worthy things don't come easy."; "Success is a reflection of the hard work and effort you have invested"; "If it is not worth the effort, it is not worth having." They all say a variation of the same thing: "You have to work hard for what you get."
I have lived all my life following this motto and somewhere along the way I forgot how to play and to relax and to just be ... This morning I had a Eureka moment watching that little boy learning how to bicycle. It does not have to be hard. Sometimes, all it takes to move forward is to stop, reflect and change the way you think about things.
- What am I not seeing while I have my nose stuck to the grindstone?
- What is the real reason I am doing this?
- Who am I doing this for? Is it my goal or is it the goal of someone else?
- Who am I trying to please?
- Is this the only way?
- Is there an easier way?
- How can I change my mindset so that I can actually have fun working towards this goal?
In the spirit of spring being a season of renewal I think it is an opportune time to re-evaluate the values and principles we live by.
What are the conscious or unconscious maxims you live by? Do they serve you? Or is it time for an overhaul...
Thanks, Sylvie, for sharing this story. I have been feeling like I am peddling uphill for a while now and after reading your post this morning I realize I should stop struggling. I just need to think of a way to bring more fun to what I am doing or at least open my mind to finding a better way.
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact that you are already making a difference in your team and in your workplace with your positive attitude and innovative ideas. Maybe you are just imagining that it is uphill and all the while people are watching you whizzing by on your race bike quite impressed by your prowess...
ReplyDeletePS: Liked your blog on trying new ways to connect with people in the workplace.
This is a refreshing story and a lovely picture of your little hero...
ReplyDeleteThings worthwhile are not necessarily hard to get. Simplicity of heart may be the secret...
L'important, c'est de parvenir à unifier sa vie autour de son DESIR (ici, il convient de distinguer entre "désirs partiels" -au pluriel - et ce qui peut conférer unité et sens à notre vie et que j'appelle le DESIR - au singulier) Tâche difficile, il est vrai, que celle d'identifier notre DESIR profond...
Ci-dessous une citation de Denis VASSE tirée de son livre "L'homme et l'argent" aux éditions du Seuil :
"Le désir qui oriente l’homme dans et par la parole n’est pas sans rapport avec la pauvreté. L’homme est nécessairement et essentiellement pauvre en cet esprit, en ce souffle qui le relie et le fait naître à la vie, non par ce qu’il a, mais par ce qu’il est. La pauvreté conduit, dans l’humilité de la demande, à la joie reçue et donnée sans argent, sans valeur d’usage ou d’échange, gracieusement. Le pauvre est celui qui trouve sa joie dans le vivre avec, dans l’amour.
…
L’homme véritable est un pauvre.
Il peut bien s’enrichir pour avoir tout ce qu’il faut pour vivre. Mais jamais, sauf à s’égaler à l’image de Dieu, c’est-à-dire à faire de l’image de lui en l’autre une idole, il ne pourra capitaliser le « souffle » de la vie qu’il reçoit et qu’il donne gratuitement. Ce souffle qu’il ne possède pas et dont il n’est pas la source est celui de la vie qui s’engendre en lui. C’est dans sa chair désirée et désirante que s’accomplit ce don."
Have a nice and peaceful week-end and enjoy this gorgeous weather !
My M.Sc. supervisor used to say, "If it was easy, someone would have done it by now!"
ReplyDeleteI find being innovative requires a lot of effort. But thanks to Learning Organization tools and practices, along with ideas from books like Crowdsourcing and Wikinomics, I have found that being innovative can also be easy (or at least fun).
One concept I liked from Crowdsourcing was the idea that a group of well-informed individuals is at least as likely as any so-called expert to come up with an innovative solution to a problem. Combining this with LO tools and practices means that I do not have to be the expert on the issues I am responsible for responding to. Rather, if I just create the environment where innovation can occur, I can let others help me achieve my goals.