Cycling Through my Job Search

I'm on a bike, and I'm sprinting, sprinting, sprinting.  The muscles in my thighs giving me all they have to offer as I reach my zone. The thumping techno beat eggs me on as I keep climbing, climbing, climbing, transporting myself to infinity and beyond. The burning feeling in my legs justifying that I am reaping what I sow.   Nothing can stop me and no one can catch me. 25 minutes in, and the tempo slows, and it's everything my leaden, hollow legs can to keep pace with the beat. As I look at the stopwatch on my bike, I wonder how I can make it through the next 25.

Coincidentally, I started taking spin classes at my gym in March, around the same time as I started my job search, and the process of the latter feels remarkably like the former. The last two weeks have been sprint weeks: I would apply to 4-5 jobs a week, and each time my phone buzzed, a new interview offer would pop up in my inbox. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew that if I just kept moving, without slowing or looking behind me, I would get there.

Even the toughest spin class is more fun with a group of friends! 

However in spin class (or any kind of group exercise class for that matter,) the momentum doesn't last forever, and this week, it was like the gear on my bike is stuck on high, and my motivation stuck on low. While the past couple months have been a constant fluctuation of flat roads and hills, this week's hill was steeper than I had anticipated. It was 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon, after pedaling furiously to meet four deadlines all spaced within a 24 hour period, when I decided to quickly glance at my email. My heart races as I see a new message from a company with whom I had interviewed twice last week with the subject line "Follow Up To Your Interview."

"We enjoyed talking to you last week, and we enjoyed your enthusiasm for the job," it started, in an attempt to cushion the blow of the "but" that was ahead. "We decided not to move forward with your application because we found other more qualified candidates." In that moment, I realized that no matter how fast I moved, no matter how much I pushed even when my legs wanted to rest and rebel, there would always be someone faster and stronger than me. What's the point of even entering the race if I can't win? What's the point of endless pedaling if I'm not even going anywhere anyway?

If I were in a spin class, I would grab some water or wipe the sweat off my neck with a towel. Maybe step off the bike a little bit to take a deep breath. Regroup. Refocus. Reenergize. And tonight, I needed to step off my proverbial bike, eat some chocolate ice cream with my best friend, take a warm bath, get a good night sleep. Regroup. Refocus. Reenergize.

Tomorrow morning, I will hop back on, finding new opportunities, applying like crazy, and moving towards my goal, no matter what it takes. Even if I'm not at a full sprint or going as fast as I could, I'm gathering momentum towards a light at the end of the tunnel. Going to spin class taught me that my destination is not always tangible, or in immediate sight, but not even the hardest ride lasts forever. And the work it takes to get there, the sweat and soreness that come afterwards, make the destination that much better, because I worked for it, and I earned it!