Seth Godin’s blog post today rang true for me. As a cyclist I know that everyone goes fast downhill, but uphill is when you separate yourself from the field.

In the last few weeks I have been riding the North Branch Trail, which has two overpasses that have short, but steep uphill sections. Twice in the last few weeks I have had riders pass me on the uphill sections of those overpasses. Now I’m a little competitive and I don’t like to get passed at all; but I was particularly upset about getting passed on the uphill. I knew that it is easy to keep pace on the flat, but the uphill is what tests your mettle. So getting passed on the uphill really frosted me.

At the same time it’s the work you do on the flats that makes you strong enough to compete on the uphills. If you don’t work hard on the flat sections, you don’t build the muscle and stamina that you need to be fast going uphill.

There’s one other thing about the uphill, I find myself anticipating the coasting on the other side, and so I don’t always go hard all the way up the hill, I might start to slow down that last 10% (and give up any gains I might have made).

Where are you “coasting” in your life right now? How can you prepare for the uphill to come?

Where are you on the uphill? How is it that you are going to improve your game to get better NOW?

Go ahead and read Seth’s Blog Post: Winning on the uphills. He might have a few ideas for you.

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Brad Farris is a small business advisor with Anchor Advisors, Ltd. in Chicago, Il. Since 2001 Anchor Advisors has been helping creative professional firms to grow, by helping them clarify their purpose, get the most from their people, keep their eye on key performance measures, and implement consistent processes.