A Peek Into Gorgeous Golding’s Mind ™: Life Is Like Riding A Bike

EPISODE 017

By Gorgeous Golding™

There is one beautiful lesson life has taught me from riding on a bike.

And this lesson has a lot to do with partnership.

By partnership, I mean marriage, relationships, business partnerships, teams, organisations, and every other situation where two or more people are working toward a shared destination.

I learned something interesting while riding on a bike, especially when I wasn’t the one riding it.

Even when you’re not the rider, you are still part of the ride.

Your balance matters. Your position matters. Your weight matters. Your focus matters. Your concentration matters.

And when you become distracted, it can affect the person holding the wheel.

You may be looking around, enjoying the scenery, carried away by excitement, or simply not paying attention. But if you become improperly positioned or lose your balance, the effect doesn’t stop with you.

It affects the bike. It affects the rider. It affects the direction.

And depending on the extent of the imbalance, it could slow the journey, make the ride harder, or even cause an accident.

That taught me something:

You do not have to be the one leading to be responsible for the journey.

Sometimes, we say, “I’m not the one in charge.” “I’m not the one making the decisions.” “I’m not the leader.”

But leadership does not eliminate partnership.

If you are on the bike, you are part of the movement.

Your role may be different from the rider’s, but your responsibility to the journey is not insignificant.

In fact, sometimes the rider needs you to understand the road well enough to know when to adjust your weight.

There are moments when you need to lift yourself slightly because of a pothole. There are moments when you need to shift your weight. There are moments when you need to make yourself lighter so the bike can move more easily through a difficult part of the road.

That is partnership.

Knowing when to support. Knowing when to adjust. Knowing when not to add unnecessary pressure. Knowing that the person holding the wheel does not need another burden; they need another person who understands the journey.

And this applies to marriage. It applies to business. It applies to teams. It applies to organisations. It applies to almost every meaningful partnership in life.

If I am leading, I need your support. I need your concentration. I need your focus. I need your belief. I need your cooperation.

Not because I cannot do anything without you, but because we are going somewhere together.

The goal is not for me to successfully ride the bike while you merely sit on it. The goal is for both of us to arrive safely at the destination.

And I have also learned something else about being on that bike:

You have to be present.

When you are present, you notice things.

You notice the potholes. You notice the bumps. You notice when the bike is becoming unstable. You notice when something is not going right.

And because you noticed, you can ask questions. You can respond. You can adjust. You can help.

Sometimes, you can even prevent a problem from becoming an accident.

But when you are distracted, you may not even realise that your own position is contributing to the problem.

And that is one of the dangers of being absent in a partnership.

You may not know when you are needed. You may not recognise the moment when your support is required. You may not know when to adjust. You may not even realise that the way you are positioned is making the journey harder for everyone.

Life will have bumps. Every journey has them.

There will be potholes. There will be difficult roads. There will be unexpected turns.

The goal is not to have a journey without bumps. The goal is to remain balanced when the bumps come.

If a bump throws you off balance, regain your position. If you make a mistake, correct yourself. If the road changes, adjust.

Do not allow one difficult moment to destabilise the entire journey.

Because the goal is bigger than the bump. The goal is the destination.

So, if you are in any partnership right now, remember:

Be present. Be conscious. Be available. Be disciplined. Be aligned. Be intentional.

Do not lose focus. Do not lose concentration.

And do not underestimate your relevance simply because you are not the one holding the wheel.

Your energy matters. Your balance matters. Your cooperation matters. Your support matters. Your presence matters.

You are as relevant to the journey as the rider.

And if you have no interest in the destination, then perhaps you should not get on the bike in the first place.

But if you truly want to get there, then get on.

Be ready to ride. Be ready to support. Be ready to adjust. Be ready to cooperate. Be ready to remain present.

Because a successful journey does not only require a good rider. It requires a good companion.

And sometimes, the difference between a difficult journey and a smooth one is simply this:

Everyone on the bike understands that they are responsible for the ride.

~ Gorgeous Golding™️

GORGEOUS GOLDING™
Purpose. Clarity. Influence.

Instagram: @gorgeous_golding
Substack: @gorgeousgolding
Email: gorgeousgolding@gmail.com