When you ride against the wind, do this.

I remember a wonderful afternoon a couple of years ago, when I decided to visit my friend a few miles away by bicycle. I rode there in about 10 minutes, and I was excited to see myself ride so fast, just like a pro. However, I spent triple the time on my way back. You may wonder why. It was such a windy day. I didn’t realize that I was carried by the wind when I was on the first leg of my ride, but on the way back, I rode directly against the wind. I can tell you, riding against the wind is a laborious and energy-consuming task. In fact, it felt like a waste of effort. When you ride against the wind, you get only minimal results from expending an enormous amount of energy.

Isn’t that what most of us do? I see many people expend their limited energy in a direction that does not favour success. They keep working hard without much to show for their significant effort. Meanwhile, doesn’t life work that way? Don’t we all have to ride against the wind? Any time we do things repeatedly without seeing results, we need to ask ourselves if we are riding against the wind. Challenges and difficulties may be likened to the wind, but it isn’t all unpleasant situations or challenges that are bad. They either hinder us from moving forward or aid us in climbing higher. It all depends on each person’s disposition to them. Some will take advantage of seemingly difficult situations to forge ahead while others will continue to wallow in the despondency of their problems. So, you may ask, “how do we take advantage of the wind?”
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Did you know that, for an airplane to take off from the ground, you need to raise the angle between the axis of the plane and the horizon of the earth? That angle is called the “attitude”. As an airplane moves at a high speed and raises its attitude to fly, so do we also need to raise our attitude to fly even in the gusty wind of life. Instead of keeping your head down in challenges and difficulties, you can maintain an attitude that helps you rise above the storms. When you ride against the wind, raise your attitude, and see the possibilities in the impossibilities. 

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Actions for the week

1. Think about your current circumstances. Are you facing some difficulties? Then, think about one or two steps you can take to move forward despite the challenges.
2. Take action on the steps you identified above. Raise your attitude and do it.
3. Share this message with those in your network.

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A quote to remember
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
– Jimmy Dean

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Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
​Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books