Two Wheels, Three Hours: My 3-Hour Journey of Doing Hard Things on a Bike

If you've known me for a while, you will know that I am a huge fan of doing hard things. Be it relocating to a new country just because I wanted to, leading the marketing team of one of the largest e-commerce startups in Africa or even starting a startup that connects businesses to world-class marketing talents, whichever it is, my mantra has always been, do hard things, Milton!

On the 31st of December 2023, while the world was getting ready to jump into a new year, I decided to do one of the hardest things I have ever done in my human life I cycled between cities.

I woke up on a 16-degree cold-and-rainy Sunday Morning in the city of Musanze, Rwanda, and decided to cycle to some other district called Burera Island - which is located in the Northern province of Rwanda and very close to the border of Uganda.

Usually when people take trips like this, they prepare for it, but I just woke up on a Sunday morning and decided to cycle for over 30 km to Burera Island. I am not surprised because I am very spontaneous especially when it comes to adventures.

After cycling for over 3hrs with so many stops in between, leg cramps, having an accident, and asking myself "Who sent me?", here's what this journey taught me about doing hard things.

Be prepared for the journey

Like I said previously, I wasn't prepared for the journey. I spontaneously decided to take the trip. I called a friend of mine, Frama, who owns a lodge in one of the twin lakes at Burera Island, and told him I want to cross over to the new year on the Island but I will cycle there. He laughed at how ridiculous that was but when he sensed my seriousness, he said he'd share my contact with someone who was going to contact me.

When I got contacted, I was told that there was no Bicycle available for rent since it was a Sunday. Knowing who I am, I knew I wasn't going to give up. I dressed up and walked around the city of Musanze looking for where I could rent a bike alongside Claude who became my cycling guide. After searching for almost an hour, we found some bicycles to rent.

What the experience of looking for a bicycle taught me is that If I prepared for the trip a day before, I'd have had a bicycle ready and we'd have left first thing in the morning but well, we only found a bicycle after almost an hour of searching.

What's the lesson here?

When doing hard things, you should be prepared for it. You should have everything you need ahead of time. But sometimes hard things takes you unawares and you should have the guts not say "No! I must do this no matter what!"

Get a Mentor That'll Guide You Through The Journey.

Honestly, I wouldn't have had the guts to cycle for that length if I didn't have someone to guide me through. My guide, Cluade, cycles that distance almost every other day so what was new to me was a norm for him and that's the beautiful thing about mentorship. The reason why your mentor is your mentor is because what seems foreign to you, is their usual. That big goal that you are trying to achieve is something that they have done over and over again and guess what? They will give you the template on how to achieve that goal and guide you through the journey. That was who Claude was to me.

Cluade wasn't just my guide but he was my mentor throughout the journey. He wasn't just patient with me when I kept stopping to rest now and then, he was also my medic when I started having leg cramps and also, my motivator when I almost gave up.

If achieving success or any goal is something that is most important to you, get a mentor! I wrote a thread about how to get a mentor. Check it out here

Take Breaks & Rest

Rest is something that just got into my vocabulary last year. Even if it's an English word, it was a concept I never understood. While we were cycling, we took as much rest as we had to so we could catch our breath and recalibrate. For Claude, he didn't need the rest but I did because that was my first time cycling that distance - scratch that! It was my first time cycling in years! So I took as much rest as I had to. This lesson applies to life as much as it applies to cycling. Someone once said success is a marathon and not a sprint and I agree with that statement. You should take as much rest as you can when you can, while you can. Being burnt out is not cute or a badge of honor. STOP AND REST! You are human and not a robot.

Accidents are inevitable

Well, I had an accident lol. While cycling, on a very sloppy bad road, I almost collided with some other cycler. I was at high speed, maintaining my lane and the dude somehow got into my lane, and that almost resulted in a collision. After holding the break so hard so I could avoid anything from happening, I fell off my bicycle with full force! I didn't sustain any serious injury but I ended up having a sprain on my left wrist and an injury on my right palm. Although it wasn't so serious, I was in some pain. Thanks to Claude, my guide, and some of the locals who came to help clean me up. And oh! Thank God I had a helmet on!

It's like I knew something like that was going to happen so I brought a change of clothes just in case and well, that came in handy. We kept cycling till we found a hospital where the injury was treated, the sprain was looked at, and I was given some meds as well. The lesson here is, "When you want to do hard things, expect challenges to happen. The reason it is called "hard things" is that it's hard. You will face challenges over the way but how you handle them is what matters. Accidents will happen, problems will come up but that shouldn't stop you from your goal! Keep moving."

Having the accident wasn't the worst thing that happened when we were 45 minutes to our destination, I started having cramps on my thighs. First, it started on one thigh then both thighs. I couldn't walk anymore. I was in serious pain! It was awful! Claude was really helpful and some locals came to help as well. After resting for 15 minutes, I was back on the road cycling. I honestly don't know what the lesson here is but for me, I don't think I will be skipping leg days at the gym anymore lmao

Hard things are hard

I won't lie to you. Hard things are hard! Very hard. There's no sugarcoating it. You will be stretched, you will cry, and your body will scream for help, why? Because hard things are hard but guess what? Not doing the hard thing is also hard. The goal is for you to choose your hard. Building a business is hard, starting a startup is hard, being consistent is hard, and eating healthy is hard but what's more "hard" is living a life where you regret not doing the hard things that might have changed your life.

It's simple! The more you do hard things, the more those hard things become easy. It was very difficult for me to cycle for such distance because it was my first time but trust me, the second time would be easier and the third time would be a walk in the park.

So in 2024, are you going to do those hard things that will challenge you? or you will keep being comfortable with what you are used to?

You will get there eventually, don't give up

Although I wanted to give up so many times, the only thing that kept me going was the thought of getting to my destination. Even though I kept asking myself "Who sent me" now and then, I was joyed whenever we got to a new milestone. Every milestone we got meant that we were getting closer to our destination. I felt a sense of achievement when we reached each milestone.

In 2024, while you set goals, have different milestones that you measure so you will know how far you've gone and how close you are to your goal.

The goal is not achieving the goal but BECOMING someone NEW in the process

Yes, I cycled for 3 hours in a 30 km distance and I achieved that goal! I did that. Whenever I think about it, I smile and say to myself "Milton, you did that! You are that guy!" Honestly, I am so proud of myself for doing something like this but, the end goal was not for me to just cycle that length but to BECOME someone that cycled that length. This journey has not just made me a whole different person but it has also stretched my mindset to believe that whatever it is I can think of, I can achieve it no matter how hard it looks. As far as my eyes can see, I can get it! This journey has shown me that if I stretch myself just a little bit, whatever I want is within my grasp.

Honestly, I am proud of myself. What better way to start the new year than to do something this hard? Maybe this would become a tradition for me every 31st of December. Doing one PHYSICALLY HARD THING that will STRETCH ME! Let's see how that goes!

It's a new year and I hope this year you get to challenge yourself to do hard things because truly, you can!

Happy New Year!