Gerbils on a Wheel – Making that Wheel Roll Forward
“Gerbils on a wheel.” I use this expression frequently when talking with audiences about how we feel after busting hump all day and feeling like nothing got done. Wouldn’t it be nice to feel like the wheel actually moved forward once in a while?
Breaking Free from the Frame
Like most wheels, the wheel we each run on during the day is held in place on either side of its hub by forks. Imagine looking down on a bicycle wheel to where the forks attach to the hub. The wheel spins at the hub and the forks keep the wheel in place. That’s good on a bicycle because everything works together so that the spinning wheels assist in making the bike move forward.
The gerbil’s wheel is similarly secured but its forks are fixed to the bottom of the cage. Thus, no amount of spinning will move the wheel forward. The wheel must break free from the forks for it to roll forward.