Jens Voigt, a well-known and well liked, professional bike rider coined this phrase and made it popular. In his professional career, he was known for his courage and tenacity. When his legs cried out for relief, he took mastery over them demanding they do his bidding. He even had these words on his bike so he could remind himself who was boss and what role his mind must play.
A couple of years ago I went for a bike ride where I had plans to meet some people for lunch at a trailside restaurant 29 miles down the trail later in the day. I thought I allowed enough time to cover the distance without keeping them waiting but I had not done many long rides that spring so I was a bit concerned about my average speed and arriving at our meeting spot on time.
I started out at a good enough pace, especially since I was on a mountain bike. I was pleased to feel good at that speed. Before too long, though, at around 14 miles, I noticed that my average speed was beginning to drop. I wanted to go faster but my legs were beginning to enter the conversation with input of their own. I really focused on going faster and that is when I learned this important life lesson. The more I thought about my legs the more tired I felt. Fortunately, God switched my thoughts from the fatigue in my legs to thinking about my cadence and to watching the average speed display on my bike computer. I stopped thinking about my legs and began thinking about the mph. A few minutes later when I looked at the current speed, I saw that I was going 15 mph which was the fastest I had gone all day. I had an epiphany right there on my bike. I realized that the more I focused on the bad news, i.e. my legs being tired, the more I reaped tired legs. When, however, I put my mind on my goal, my body just achieved the goal despite the obstacles. In fact, I didn’t even feel my legs. I just achieved a new level of success simply by shifting my thinking.
The moral of the story is like the story of old Job from the Bible, whatever we focus on is what we attract. If I meditate on tired legs, I am going to reap weariness but if I turn my mind to a goal or a promise, then I am going to be drawn towards that goal. And, yes, I arrived at my destination in plenty of time.
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