It's like riding a bike

Think of your career as though you're going on a bike ride.

During the uphill stretches, it's tough to pedal, each crank a real struggle. Other times, coming downhill, it takes no energy, and you just enjoy it.

How many times have you heard about a friend of a friend who works at the cushiest job, comes in late, leaves early, takes a long lunch, works out and surfs the Internet for long stretches of the day, basically does his job in an hour or two? Naturally, your first reaction is, "Wow, that sounds awesome."

This guy is coasting downhill -- fun times, indeed.

Your second reaction is, "Why am I working so hard?"

Coasting is a blast, but every moment spent going downhill is an uphill climb you'll have to make later.

Meanwhile, if you pedal uphill, you know you can look forward to some relaxation later. Too much hard pedaling all at once, though, you'll get burned out, so you have to mix in a some easier times -- patches of level ground or slight downhill grades. Too much coasting, and you'll end up with a deficit to make up at the end.

Some people have coasted so long, they can't even contemplate making the uphill climb. You know some of these people, perhaps not personally, but you see them at large corporations or government agencies. Their only hope is to ride their current job and pray it doesn't go anywhere. When they're 50 or 60, their worries multiply, as they become less physically and mentally able to do something new, even if they could muster up the desire. They might hate their mind-numbing job by then, but what else can they do?

So, if you're pedaling hard, take comfort that you're building muscles and saving up for a nice, pleasant ride later.