on riding a unicycle

balance requires effort

How do you balance on that thing?

That’s the question people asked me the most when I used to ride my unicycle around my Toronto neighbourhood.

Simple, I keep moving.

Initially when learning to ride a unicycle, my movements were wild, flailing and quite dramatic. Over time, riding a unicycle, my movements became more refined. The act was never effortless, but I became more efficient.

All balance, whether on a tight wire, unicycle, giant balance ball or any of the other kinds of circus / street performance apparatus, is an active thing.

Finding balance requires effort.

And?

When we’re first learning something or making big changes, balance requires a lot more effort, a lot more awareness. Initially, learning balance can seem like wild, dramatic flailing.

And?

If we don’t give ourselves permission to flail, fail and fall, we’ll never get the ability to go from four wheels to two and from two wheels to four.

It’s like the old saying goes:

If your shoes stink, you’ll likely need to wash your socks m…