There are moments in life when you need inspiration.
It could be inspiration to continue doing something when it appears to be a lost cause or it could be inspiration to help you change the situation you are in. But you need something to inspire you and be the catalyst in your decision making.
A job may have become unbearably tedious or a relationship beginning to crumble. In bike terms, you may have been on a long ride and the next hill appears from nowhere and looks like Everest – the one you think that’s going to beat you, the one that forces you to quit.
In these situations you need something extra – maybe a memory, song lyrics, a scene from a movie, something you’ve seen, heard or read –something to give you that extra 1% to keep going.
You know when the inspiration comes, there’s that instant when everything just seems to make sense and the words or sight resonates deep within you and gives you the uplifting motivation to dig deep.
I got that feeling a few days ago.
I was feeling heavy and lethargic on my bike. I’d only ridden a few miles and I was contemplating turning around and giving up.
Then I remembered three quotes.
First a saying attributed to former NFL coach Vince Lombardi: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”
Secondly, a quote from Lance Armstrong: “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
Lastly, one of my favourite film quotes: “Losers always whine about their “best”! Winners go home and **** the prom queen”- Sean Connery in the film, ‘The Rock’.
For some reason, these three quotes combined to inspire me – not in a life changing sense, but they helped me dig deep and churn my lead-like legs for 15 more miles. While they may not work for everyone, every time I began to struggle, I thought about one of these quotes and it motivated me to keep going.
If you don’t have a picture or quote to turn to when the going gets tough, I suggest you try and find one and place it on your wall / computer / somewhere you’ll see it and smile.
I ordered a poster of Lance Armstrong displaying that specific saying and it now adorns my bedroom door.
No more excuses…