What to Do When You’re Falling Behind

What to Do When You’re Falling Behind

By Steve Pavlina

When I was a kid, it took me longer than I would have liked to learn how to ride a bike. I kept using a bike with training wheels((h)wēl) and I didn’t practice much, so of course I didn’t learn how to balance.

One day I observed(əbˈzərv) that my sister (younger by 2.5 years) was getting close to figuring out how to ride a bike. She wasn’t quite(kwīt) there yet, but she was clearly much closer to balancing than I was. I couldn’t let her beat(bēt) me to it!

So I grabbed(grab) my bike, pushed it out to the street, and decided that I was going to learn how to ride it then and there. I hopped on — sans training wheels — and swerved(swərv) all over the place like an out-of-control maniac(ˈmānēˌak). I tried to stay near the grass when I could muster some degree of control, so when I fell(fel), I’d hopefully crash onto the lawn(lôn) instead of the street or sidewalk.

After many short-lived attempts(əˈtem(p)t), I finally learned how to balance. Then I was off and riding. I rode(rōd) my bike a lot that summer and have had the skill ever since.

Up until that point, I’d been making a big deal out of the whole process. It seemed scary(ˈske(ə)rē) and daunting(ˈdänt-,ˈdôntiNG). I was afraid(əˈfrād) of falling. But once I confronted(kənˈfrənt) the fear(fi(ə)r) and mustered the courage to risk getting hurt, I quickly emerged(əˈmərj) on the other side with a whole new skill. From the moment of decision to the time I emerged with the basic(ˈbāsik) skill was probably less than an hour.

What finally motivated(ˈmōtəˌvāt) me to face the fear and take action? It was the feeling that I was falling behind. My peers were leaving me in the dust. They could ride(rīd) and I couldn’t. If my younger sister got there first, I’d no doubt(dout) be unfavorably(ˌənˈfāv(ə)rəbəl
) compared to her, and I really didn’t want to deal with that.

That build-up of pressure(ˈpreSHər) worked to my advantage(ədˈvantij). I was capable(ˈkāpəbəl) of facing the fear and developing the skill, but I’d been delaying(diˈlā). I was letting fear get the better of me. That pressure gave me a much needed kick(kik) in my complacency(kəmˈplāsənsē).

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https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2015/04/what-to-do-when-youre-falling-behind/