About coming in prepared, enjoying the flow, the need for pausing, and being grateful

I had a fantastic time this week-end and I wanted to share my joy, as well as some lessons learned to those who want to accomplish some great things - or at least you're proud of.

The context

For the second year in a row, we decided with some friends to go for the Ardennes - Saint-Hubert region - to go mountainbiking overday, and approach the stag's slab (le “brame du cerf” in French het “burlen van de hert” in Dutch) over the evening. Result: we heard the stags and saw the deers… and did 98km of mountainbiking, 1600m in positive height, at an average speed of 8km/h and 14 hours on the saddle in two days. That gave me ample time to think about a couple of things, also in business, that I wanted to share with my network.

Come in prepared, or be ready to adapt.

I was mentally, emotionally and physically as ready as I can be and made a small maintenance of my already 10 year old carbon frame bike before departure. I was ready, or at least I thought I was. However, after 10km of steep slope between Rochefort and Nassogne, I heard a recurrent noise in my crank house (pédalier). Dang, I had not oiled that for quite a long time, and forgot to do it before departing. No way I can change that out in the woods, so back to square one to the bike shop of Rochefort, where I was obliged to rent a bike, much heavier, taller, and with less “rings and bells” than mine (including GPS holder). I was fulminating about myself not to have prepared my material enough. I was going to suffer and sweat, especially on the second day with my friends who have "Formula 1 bikes" and who are physically much stronger than I am. I'm the only one to blame, so I take ownership and change my position on the saddle to fit the bigger frame, and back I went. My lesson learned? Change is a constant, so why trying to have any control on it? You definitely can’t control everything. The point is: prepare as good as you can, but learn going with the flow, and be more adaptive.

Objective is a should do, but process is a must do.

I knew I had to meet my friends in Saint-Hubert by night to ride altogether the next day. That was my objective – we had rent a tent in the woods-, and I had prepared my progression with the Komoot Mobile app’ (not as good as Garmin’s, but still recommended). The point is: it's one of the densest Belgian forests around there, so... forget about your (although excellent) sense of orientation towards your objective. You get lost or confused after km 1. I only had my cellphone (whose battery ran out much faster than expected) and Komoot mobile app who suggested me to take the streets for getting out Rochefort valley. It mentioned - I had not seen that the first time - that the slopes in the woods were for the "experts". Right. But after 3 km of hitting the streets, although I was progressing fast, I smelled, heard, and had to watch out for the cars. That's exactly what I didn't want by coming here. So I went back in the woods for some sweating, and a slower, more technical and lonely progression. In contact with nature, my body and emotions. I felt great, evolving at my own pace.?My lesson learned: be clear with the reason why you came, and enjoy the process once you’re in it. And if you don’t enjoy the process, take a pause, reorient your energy and reorganize your process.

Enjoy the ride, or pauze.

From Nassogne to Saint Hubert, you regularly have steady slopes of 2km - 3km long, where you can barely ride at about 5-6km/h and have to spend 45 minutes on a single slope (I have a heavy mountainbike, remember? ;-)). That's testing your resilience, guaranteed. After the second slope of the same type in a row, I had a hard time. By default – and personality -, I like pausing on top of the hill, so I don't loose my tempo. Not possible here. I had a hard time, and had to pause in the middle, sat on the side of the track, and tried to get my heartbeat and breath back in control, stretching my legs, arms and back, while enjoying the smell of the wood and the birdsongs. Back on the saddle, I got the enjoy the ride again. My lesson learnt? We tend to suffer in silence, hoping for better days or a top of the hill, and we forget to live here and now, that requires to adapt our way of doing things.

We tend to go inwards and forget to go outwards

I’ve spent the last 6 months thinking about loads of things in life: my career, my past, my future, my health, my mind, my spirituality, my family, my rapport to authority, to money, success, friendship,… sitting on a chair, alone or accompanied by my wife, friends or coaches. That’s a long period, actually thinking … about thinking. I had recently gotten the impression that I was just running in circles. My lesson learned? I’m actually flabbergasted how much progress you make on those heavy questions by doing the so-called “GooB” (Get out of the Building!) strategy. When you tend to be running in circles, get out, meet some people, go in the nature, whatever, but don’t wait for anyone else to come and rescue. You’re the only able to actually rescue yourself, and if not, it’s actually your responsibility to call for help, to get coaching, to invite a friend for dinner or to take your bike and go out in the woods, whatever.

Be Grateful

I've enjoyed this trip, and am profoundly thankful for my friends who invited me, and who were kind enough to let me go at my own pace on the second day. I had given my everything on the first one, and couldn't follow the guys who were all planning a marathon, an ironman, or the patrouille des glaciers. I feel blessed to have been invited by these guys, but I need to be clear with myself, when it's actually... not an objective. It's not abandoning anyone... to the contrary: it's about being true to myself.

I'm also grateful to my own body. I know how I can be a little ungrateful to him. I don't always sleep well, eat well, drink well, taking time to recover well. And yet, he's allowing me to perform these sorts of experiences. I notice how blessed I am, when hearing more and more people struggling with health issues around me. I've had a thought for them, in the sense that: we're all limited by our abilities, and there is no-one to blame if, in the process of trying, you need to give up from time to time. That's OK. You ain't a machine.

Ultimately, I'm also grateful to life to have offered me the chance to have the time, the financial means, as well as the chance to have met so many beautiful people in my life who have made me grow. I hope I'll deserve that honour and won't keep that to myself.

Sharing is caring.

For those who like to be inspired by how body and mind play together, I invite you to read “Ouvrir une voie” by Emmanuel Faber, former CEO of Danone, who has been a front-runner in everything related to ESG, DEI,... and who found the strength of “changing paradigms” via genuinely enjoying another sport I love (though I’m not at all of the same level ;-)): rock climbing. On the question: "what gives you energy?", he clearly has found his own answer.

So, my question to you is: what gives you energy?

Kind regards,

Johan