Cycling is a metaphor for how we succeed in life - Soul of Innovation

Hi, I'm just walking out here up to Trivan, up Holmenkollen here in Oslo, and I had 4 cyclists ride by me, and I realized that they represented different phases of life, and I just wanted to share with you each, the story of each one of them, and then see if we can reflect and see ourselves in those cyclists. The first cyclist was a guy, say middle-aged. He had a brand new road bike He's riding up Holmenkollenveien all the way up to the top of Holmenkollen, which is Trivand, the ski resort. And as he's riding up there, he's doing it effortlessly— effortlessly— effortlessly, sorry. He's doing it effortlessly. He's going so smooth, so fast, very little sweat off his head. And I mean, he's going at a tempo— he looks like Chris Froome, really. I was massively impressed how beautiful it was to watch this guy go up. The second cyclist was a weekend warrior, a middle-aged guy, kind of a potbelly. His bike was new but not the newest year model, if you know what I mean. So it was sort of new a couple of years ago. It had all the best components, but it wasn't new. And he was going up that mountain. He's gonna make it, you know, but he was sweating like a pig, not going very fast, but he's doing what he can. Cyclist number 3 was this young kid. He wasn't cycling on the road like the first two. He was cycling on the sidewalk right next to me. He wasn't on a road bike. He didn't know better. He was on a hybrid bike or whatever you call these things. And as he rode by me, he smiled. He was having a wonderful time, and he actually caught up to cyclist number 2 and kept on going. The last cyclist was a woman. I heard her coming way before she came up to me because her Her bike was making so much noise. It was creaking. It was making— and she, I could hear her grunting, really working hard. And as she passed me, I looked at her and she was just grinding her teeth. Her bike had more rust than metal. The chain was pure rust. It was creaking and cracking. And this woman was grinding those pedals and she was also gonna make it. So I'm wondering, And it hit me right then and there. I don't know why. That's us, isn't it? Are we the first guy? The guy who's put in the time and the work so that when we actually have to do what we need to do, it's effortless. People who are watching us are either happy for us or they're saying, "Oh, he probably cheated. He probably has taken steroids." Or in real life, in business, it's, "He probably cheated his way to that success," or something like that. Are you that cyclist? Are you the person who's happy for other people when they're successful, or are you the person who makes excuses and said that probably that your envy is actually— that's where it all comes from, right? Envy that that person achieved this success through some negative means. Or are you cyclist number 2, the weekend warrior, the guy only has time because he's, you know, to, to exercise on weekends because he's got to work and all his other responsibilities? This could be a woman too, sex doesn't really matter. In a moment of impulse, he knew he or she was overweight and they bought a bike to compensate. They bought a membership to a gym, but they never really use it, and when they do use it, it's uncomfortable. But they know they gotta do something, so they use it anyway, and they go through the whole experience, and it's better than not going through the whole experience, but it doesn't really help because the gut is still there, the thick thighs are there, blah blah blah blah blah. Or are you number 3? Are you that young kid who doesn't care? You're going out because it's a beautiful day. You just gotta bike and cycle. You don't know the rules of the road. You don't care about the rules of the road. And you're going up there and you're just having a wonderful time. And as you experience these experiences, you're smiling at people. Or are you the 4th person? Are you this woman who's a grinder. She was in the house, she probably said, "You know what? I'm probably going to meet some friends at the top of the mountain. It's quicker if I take my bike. Let me just get out there and bike." She doesn't know that she's supposed to have a road bike. Matter of fact, she just says it's a bike. She doesn't know that she's supposed to maintain her bike. She doesn't even know there's rust. She just uses the bike, she just gets there. She's a grinder. It doesn't matter what's in front of her. It doesn't matter that there are hindrances because she don't see hindrances. She's just going to grind to get from A to B. Who are you in these scenarios? Or the fifth one— surprise— are you just the observer observing the other four? Observing the cyclist, observing people doing things, and you're just a fifth one who's just criticizing and watching? I think The one reflection I got from all that was I don't know the answer, but I think the fact that I was able to see this and see these reflections of life when these people rode by me means that in that moment I was open. I was open to learn. I was open to experience. But the one thing I found that I found most interesting was of those 4 people that went by me, only the young kids smiled. Only the young kid was enjoying the journey. So, are you enjoying your journey? Are you enjoying your ride up the mountain? Or do you feel that your ride up the mountain is only a ride down? This is Thomas Anglero, enjoying And absolutely another beautiful day in Norway, in the Norwegian forest, with cyclists and joggers and all sorts of people. Take care. Soul of Innovation.