Quotes and Action Steps Series (#13). “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” (Albert Einstein)

Albert Einstein (via Wikipedia)

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” (Albert Einstein)

What does that mean?

This quote is attributed to Albert Einstein as a piece of fatherly advice to his son Eduard. Let us keep in mind that Einstein wrote his letter with this advice in German.



A more literal translation of the phrase in German is: “It is the same with people as it is with riding a bike. Only when moving can one comfortably maintains one’s balance.”

The quote that we know (“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”) has the same meaning and I personally like this version more.

  To keep moving forward on a bicycle we need balance, energy, direction and perseverance.
 To keep moving forward in life we need the same things.
So this quote is the bicycle metaphor and it’s more about life than about riding a bike, isn’t it?


Where can I apply this in my life?

When you are learning to ride a bicycle, sometimes the fear of falling off prevents you from moving forward.
The fear of failure (“falling off”) often prevents you from personal development and well-being.

It is said you should live a balanced life.
But what is balance?

Balance is:

- the ability to move or to remain in a position without losing control or falling;
- a state in which different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or proper amount of importance.

There is no one magic formula for attaining a balanced life.

Life balance is a comfortable state of equilibrium achieved between your personal and professional priorities.
Life balance is a sense of harmony and inner peace.
Life balance is a mixture of everyday life, work, creativity, family, and your personal time. And it’s truly important to integrate all components of your life.

There are several easy steps to balanced life:
-    Create your daily routine with healthy habits, such as time for relax, healthy meals, regular exercise.
-    Learn to say “no” without explanations to protect your priorities.
-    Accept that you are not perfect (and nobody is perfect too).
-     Figure out what kind of balance will help you to achieve your goals.


To define what will work for you, you need to take into account that life is changing.
Give yourself some time to reflect on your life and your goals.
What is life balance for you?

Thank you for reading.
If you like this post, please share it with your friends.

Subscribe to the newsletter and get a free copy of my eBook “Composition in Photography”.

• Share on Google+