I used to occasionally write about my lunchtime hike, before
the forced removal of my office due to rental spike.
How lucky I was, back then, to be working in an office that
was just a fifteen-minute walk away from a charming getaway – a hiking trail
which was almost like another world from the hustle and bustle of the city
centre. That lunchtime escapade was a nice dose of sedative between the morning
and afternoon slave-driving sessions.
The start of the trail was a fairly steep slope, and I
remember how, when I first did the hike, I used to heave and pant as I trudged
up. It was with regular practice that the ascent became less challenging, and I
even began to appreciate that it was that tough part which provided the
precious aerobic exercise.
Likewise, these days when I have taken up biking, I have
exactly the same experience with the slopes of my favourite biking route. They
were a hell of a challenge at the beginning, when I neither had the knowledge
of the level of difficulty nor the physical strength to conquer them. The
temptation to back off was strong and I am not ashamed to say that on a couple
of occasions I did, making up enough excuse to convince myself that keeping on
was not a good idea. Fortunately, I persisted, and that is why I can now
proudly declare that I look forward to them as much as I did to the slope of
the hiking trail.
And here lie some important lessons in life. First, one
does not get to taste the sweetness of success if one gives up too easily. Second,
the landscape of the challenge changes dramatically if only you are brave
enough to face it. It changes from seeming insurmountable to being enjoyable.
Third, the road to success is really rather lonely. The majority of people have
given up, and you are left with the few stubborn ones (those who, in Steve
Jobs’s words, “stay hungry, stay foolish”), and these are the truly lucky ones
who share the wonderful, wonderful scenery.
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