Nearly 1.5 years from today I wrote a post titled Life On The Saddle - 5000 Kms of Cycling. This post is a sequel to this last post.
At the time when I wrote that post I was still struggling in this recovery from my serious love affair with alcohol and cigarette addiction. That was the time I was occupied with this thinking and high headedness, that by getting into cycling and staying away from Cigarette and Alcohol is more than enough in life. Slowly and gradually I started growing as a cyclist. I soon completed my first 50 Kilometers. Then I did my first century ride. After which I went from Delhi to Rishikesh on cycle; that was my first double century. Then I completed the golden triangle (Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Delhi) covering 750 Kilometers in 3 days. Then came my first 300 Kilometer brevet which I managed to finish comfortably in 17 hours and so on and so forth. Still, till last 2-3 months, I used to be under impression that just by getting into cycling and successfully managing to fight down my years long addiction of alcohol and cigarette; I am some sort of a heavyweight or headliner. And I am doing some kind of favor on people around me.
At the time when I wrote that post I was still struggling in this recovery from my serious love affair with alcohol and cigarette addiction. That was the time I was occupied with this thinking and high headedness, that by getting into cycling and staying away from Cigarette and Alcohol is more than enough in life. Slowly and gradually I started growing as a cyclist. I soon completed my first 50 Kilometers. Then I did my first century ride. After which I went from Delhi to Rishikesh on cycle; that was my first double century. Then I completed the golden triangle (Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Delhi) covering 750 Kilometers in 3 days. Then came my first 300 Kilometer brevet which I managed to finish comfortably in 17 hours and so on and so forth. Still, till last 2-3 months, I used to be under impression that just by getting into cycling and successfully managing to fight down my years long addiction of alcohol and cigarette; I am some sort of a heavyweight or headliner. And I am doing some kind of favor on people around me.
Of course managing these back breaking and butt burning, hours long cycle rides is not easy. But there should cometh a point in life when one needs to move on from his own achievements; stop being amazed at one's own-self progress and look for endeavors more challenging and daunting. This is how growth happens. The day you stop looking for these new embarkments in life, the growth in life stops. Stagnation seeps in, when you grossly entrench yourself in self glorification. Today while riding and talking to my girlfriend on the phone for 2 long hours, I realized that it is high time for me to move on and take up new challenges and touch upon some untouched territories. Because cycling and not getting back to my old-self has now been cemented into my system. Sometimes we get so much engrossed in making useless efforts into things which has started happening effortlessly on its own that we stop expanding newer horizons because we do not have any energy left.
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
― Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
― Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior
I realized today that I need not to make any extra effort to keep these two going, i.e. cycling and not getting back to my own-self. I can utilize all that effort in expanding new horizons and embarking upon new endeavors. I have been making plans for new things and failing at it miserably all this while not realizing or having a single clue as to why. Today I know the reason. It was because I was fearful of letting go of the effort which was required to sustain the changed lifestyle which I adopted some 2.5 years ago. Not realizing that this lifestyle had been moving on its own accord for a long time now and my efforts had just been a contributor to the stagnation in my life. It is just like when you start to learn cycling and some elder holds your seat from behind to help you balance. You ride and ride and one day you look back to realize that the hand that was there to support your balance had long been gone and you have traveled a long way on your own. Now you need not to be conscious of your balance anymore, but if you do, you are bound to fall.
With this newfound realization and knowledge (Thanks to 1. my cycle and other, 2. my Girlfriend); the time has come to add some more juggling clubs in my act of juggling in life. I have realized that I need to keep the current juggling clubs moving and add more elements. Time has come and time is ripe when I need to move and grow in my professional and academic prospects of life as well. This is something I was very good at and it is also something that had long been neglected and ignored. Starting and opening this front, won't be easy. But so was with leaving behind smoking and drinking and adapting a healthy lifestyle. I have never been a quitter on challenges, nor will I be this time. It was typically me, being fearful of letting go of something I had long conquered. I am now ready with some new found energy and vigor.
Life! Bring it on!!
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