Mind Over Mountain: Conquering Challenges with Confidence

Picture this: you’re sitting on your bike, staring up at a huge hill that's scared you silly and denied you in the past. But today? Today is different. Why? Because you have visualized getting to the top. This hill has become a metaphor for mental roadblocks. 

This is exactly what I did on the weekend. 

There is a huge hill I bike around all the time – I have imagined all the pain, all the glory, and it has always terrified me. I would think about my ascent as I went to sleep at night! It was my Achilles heel without ever having the guts to try it! So, I started visualizing myself pedalling up the hill - the rhythm of my bike, the sound of the birds, focusing on the road ahead, my legs feeling good, and the feeling of accomplishment! 

I finally told my cycling partner about this yesterday morning – she sent me a text saying – “wanna climb hills at 3?”, and we did. I met her and complained my gears were acting up, blah, blah, blah, and she just shrugged and said, “let’s go”. 

We rode around a bit, warming up, noticing the head wind, my sticky gears, but there was no going back – I had visualized this and it was far more than the actual hill. As we turned up the hill (mountain😊), she went ahead. The wind was directly in my face, my bike was randomly clicking between gears, and my quads and lungs were burning. Then, I remembered how I visualized this – I focused on slow, deep breaths, my consistent pedalling, and only the road directly ahead. The weight of tiredness and doubt began to lift, almost as if the universe was lending a hand. With each turn of the pedal I felt lighter, more free, and more determined.  Suddenly, the burning muscles and the heaviness in my legs seemed inconsequential. The top grew nearer, and I could feel the pride building! 

I did it! 

It was nowhere near as hard as I had imagined – another metaphor for life. Our minds can conjure up all kinds of nasty things that are nowhere near reality! We continued to ride for 20 more km feeling like kids with no inhibitions.

My hope for you is to visualize, breathe deeply, and reach your summit - conquer your personal mountain. Life spreads out before you like a road of endless possibilities. In this moment, you are unstoppable. So go ahead, embrace the challenges of the week with a smile, knowing that with each hill, you grow stronger, more resilient, and more alive than ever before.

Let’s ride—and let’s make this week one for the books!

-Kim