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What Bicycling Taught Me About Staying in a Good Mood

I’ve known how to ride a bike for years, but it is one of those things I don’t do as often as I should. However, as I was riding my bike the other day, I realized how similar it is to maintaining a positive outlook. Here are some of the things that bicycling taught me about staying in a good mood.

There are Hills and Valleys – Not every road is flat, and if they were, a bike ride would be pretty boring. I’m no physicist, but I do know that if you go uphill, you have to come back down at some point, and it works the same way with mood. Though it might be a tough struggle to get all the way up a big hill, just remember that you’ll be able to coast back down eventually. The idea is that without challenges , we couldn’t enjoy the times when life is easy.

 

If You Get Stuck, Change Gears – When you’re going uphill, pumping your legs harder and harder is eventually going to wear you out. So, if your bike is equipped for it, the best thing you can do is to change gears.

It works the same way when it comes to being in a good mood, too. If you are stuck in a mindset that isn’t making you happy, do something different. It’s easy to make excuses and just accept things for how they are, but if those things aren’t making you happy, then it is time to do something about it and change your strategy. It might not even have to be a big change, just something significant enough to make you feel better.

You Can Only Move Forward – This one is something I discovered when I had to backtrack to pick up my water bottle. When you try to backpedal, you end up going nowhere. And even if you turn around, you are still pedaling towards something. If you set your sights to do positive things and “think forward,” you’ll work toward your goals and not worry about the things you can’t control. I’m sure there are plenty of other bicycling metaphors that pertain to a good mood, but I think these are the ones that stood out to me the most. Are there any you might add to this list?

-Lisa