Recently, a friend of mine bought a Peloton bike. As she shared her experience with me she said, “I’m so out of shape, but I’m sure it will get easier once I workout more regularly and get back into shape.” I laughed a little bit and said, “It doesn’t get easier! It’s hard every time!”

I guess that’s the nature of a good workout—as we get better, we intentionally make the workouts harder. This “cheeky little knob” (as Bradley Rose’s would say) is on any stationary bike and without it, we could all ride forever. As you start to turn this knob to the right, you change a simple, flat road into an uphill climb with resistance. Each turn of that knob makes your thighs burn more. It makes the sweat pour off of you. It makes huffing and puffing necessary–conversation is off the table. It often requires that you get out of the saddle so you can actually move the pedals. But it also makes you stronger—physically AND mentally. So, as much as we all may hate that little red knob, it’s exactly what we need in our life to make us better!

What’s the “little red knob” in your life? It might be making life a bit of an uphill climb, but it’s also making you stronger every day. Look, we all love the flat road, but the flat road isn’t what we look back on and say, “I conquered that!” No, not at all. It’s that big $#@% hill that we thought would never end, that tried to break us, that we look back at and say, “I did it! I made it to the top! I conquered it!” Physically and mentally you are stronger as a result of this uphill climb. So if the knob of life just got twisted to the right, just remember, you can do it! Let’s go! We got this!

With Gratitude,

Beth