In between reading two very inspiring and hopeful books I went to gym. The point – to conquer that dreaded stepper machine. If there is a machine at gym I truly detest, it’s this one. Maybe it’s because I always think my legs aren’t strong enough or I blame my weak knees or ankles but something about that machine makes me struggle. Nothing moves as it should and I only ever manage ten gruesomely slow minutes at a time.

Today there was no need to use that machine. I could have picked anything else because I went during a time when every machine was available and what do I do? I walked straight to that machine. As one of my previous team leaders once told me, “You tend to put yourself in uncomfortable, challenging situations.” Sounds better than “Idiot.”

The first twelve minutes were the same as every other session – hard and slow. I felt like I was fighting with this thing and had only managed 22 steps (slowest ever). So I stopped. My feet sank as both steps lowered at the same time. The time kept moving. So I lifted one foot and the other and I felt the strangest sensation. I was moving with the machine. I stopped fighting it and just glided with its movements. Even the machine stopped making its noise of death. After twenty minutes I managed 65 steps, my best ever.

Something so simple made me finally understand the idea of not fighting against things you cannot control. I always read about “going with the flow,” or “just having faith” but never really believed it before. People always think it is about control but it is actually the opposite. It is about realising that we are never in control of anything except the way we think.

The way to think is about having faith and that really does mean believing; no doubt. It really is about jumping off the cliff knowing you will fly even though you have no wings.

So put yourself in uncomfortable, challenging situations because that’s the only way you’ll learn to go with the flow. The only way to learn about believing and faith and how what you want comes with going with the flow once you believe.