Deceleration, or lack thereof, on bikes and in life.
I don't brake much while riding my mountain bike. On smooth sections of single track I have a single finger over the rear brake for emergency use, but the lever remains untouched for a majority of the ride. In technical sections of rocks, roots, and tight turns, both brakes are being used on a tactical basis, helping to regulate speed in order to maximize control.
This practice can be converted into a philosophy of sorts, a mindset of how to move through life, a method to decrease wear-and-tear on the body and mind, a supplement to the fact that speed matters.
Every so often there's a tight turn—bermed or otherwise—at the bottom of a hill—steep or otherwise—that requires braking for most riders. Too much speed from the descent combined with a hairpin turn at the bottom makes riding through it brakeless challenging. But there are methods that make it easier to go brakeless. Choosing an outside line allows for the apex of the turn to occur later and more speed to be preserved. Practicing turning skills (e.g., leaning the bike more, loading the outside foot) makes crashing less likely and retaining speed more likely. Taking a risk by not braking and successfully making it through increases confidence that can be used on the next frightening turn.
The same situation can happen in everyday life. A change is on the horizon, one that requires a major mindset shift. Most people would slow their current responsibilities to begin preparation for the oncoming event. This is generally unnecessary. The sheer amount of circumstances are too numerous to give examples, but the same bike skills can be applied. Choose a different line towards the current work that allows for more momentum into the upcoming turn. Practice skills that make transitioning easier. Take a risk by minimizing the preparation and going in with minimal pre-work and minimal interruption.
Spending too much time riding the brakes causes undue stress on the bike. Brake pads get worn out prematurely or rotors overheat and cause warpage, or even stress breaks in some cases. Harsh braking also proves more stressful on the braking system over time than light braking. Riders want their brakes to last as long as (safely) possible. Replacing them can be an expensive hassle that, again, can easily be minimized with proper braking technique.
People often take on too much in life, thinking the responsibilities aren't that much and it can be handled with a simple recipe of willpower combined with discipline. Their being human prevents that recipe from working as desired. They become overwhelmed and have to hit the brakes to get their life and obligations back under control. "I need to focus on the important things in my life", they say as they relinquish control of a project or reject another. Their stress level goes back down to normal levels, their recollection of the stress they felt fades, and they inevitably take on too much, repeating the cycle until retirement or death, the former of which doesn't always precede the latter.
Keeping stress under the subjective intolerable threshold level is important for longevity and day/week/year/decade-to-day/week/year/decade satisfaction and productivity. No one is able to handle conditions that regularly form waves with crests well above their threshold. It's unproductive and does more harm than good in almost all cases.
Know the speed limit for the current trail and apply brakes as little as possible.
Braking decreases momentum, which in turn makes it difficult to get back to the same speed again (assuming the gear is kept constant). The pedals have to be mashed via a short burst of power, sapping away precious energy that could have been conserved otherwise.
Similar to the concept of discipline momentum, slowing down or stopping altogether makes getting back to normal speed much more difficult than it would have been to be calculated in the approach. Time is lost, energy is lost, willpower is lost.
Take risks if you think you're going too fast.
Recognize the limits of the trail and yourself and adjust speed accordingly.
Less braking helps with output over the course of the ride.