Fractures

A fractured pelvis.  This will wipe out a person’s running career faster than you can say “gitty-up girl”!  Last October, I trained for a marathon and subsequently injured myself.  Hobbling on crutches and not running for seven months caused a degree of frustration and disappointment that I didn’t realize could occur from a simple running hobby.  I quickly discovered that the best way to recover from a fracture is to remove what is causing the pressure.

Yet, when I finally received a medical release to return to running again, I had lost confidence and was unsure if I wanted to embark on any future running endeavors.  I met a fellow runner, however, who imparted great wisdom to me.  He said, “You will know if you truly enjoy running if you can hit the trails without concern for what your watch says about how fast you go and how far you run.”  Initially, this seemed counterintuitive, because most runners live and breathe by their pace and distance.  I understood what he was implying, though.  He was letting me know that if I truly enjoyed running I would be willing to do it for the sheer act of running by removing the self-imposed pressures.  The pace and distance would naturally progress as a result of running for the sake of running.  In addition, I would be less likely to injury myself because I would be in-tuned to my body and not focused only on the outcome.

As I pondered this advice, I realized that this is critical advice for many decisions in life. 

Would you do your job even if you didn’t get paid?  If you simply did what you loved, a natural salary should be forthcoming.  You likely would enjoy getting to work each morning as you pursued a meaningful career.

Would you parent your children according to your intuitive values, without concerns about social pressures?  If you simply followed your inner parenting voice then well-rounded children should grow.  You would likely enjoy the parenting process more as you groom children according to their individuality.

Would you RSVP to events based on your innate interests instead of feelings of guilt?  If you simply attend events of your liking, natural “yes” and “no” responses to others could occur.  You would likely find your schedule less frenzied and overwhelming.

Would you buy that material object if you weren’t concerned about what the Joneses would think?  If you simply made purchases based on your needs and wants, many unneeded debts would be avoided.  You would likely own possessions that are gratifying and not filling up wasted space.

After my fractures healed, I discovered that I actually do still love to run.  I actually appreciate it more now than I did before.  I am free now to experience the run for what it truly should be: fresh air, stress relief, the beauty of nature, my improved health.  Sometimes it takes momentum stopping to gain valuable perspective about whether or not that activity actually improves or decreases your quality of life.

If you are feeling a disconnect with a certain aspect of your life, don’t wait for an “injury” to force you to stop and reflect.  Pause now and ask yourself why you are making the decisions you are.  Careers, schedules, parenting, finances, relationships…all of these areas are better suited when following your inner compass.

Changepoints:

We might wish to diagnose a life-fracture when:

·       We feel uncertain about decisions we are making.

·       We find we are saying “yes” or “no” to things based on what we think others want us to do.

·       We believe our life choices are from outer-motivations instead of inner-values.

·       We are focused solely on an outcome instead of the process.

·       We lack joy in activities that should be fulfilling in and of themselves. 

Heal your life-fractures.  What areas do you need to relieve pressure? 

outSIGHTin, LLC: Creating awareness as a changepoint for improved organizational results

Vault

We are told from an early age to protect what is valuable.  “Put your toy in a safe place so you don’t lose it.”  “Find a special spot, so you don’t forget where you placed your wallet.”  “Make sure you lock up your passport and social security card.”  People are taught that some things are worth protecting.  No one encourages people to give away their driver’s license or trust a stranger with their diamond ring or tweet the passwords to their bank accounts.  We don’t encourage young children to dismiss their prize stuffed animal or tell a teenager to be reckless with their new Nike shoes.

Why, then, are we so cavalier with some of the things in life that really matter: our time, our energy, our relationships?  If we would protect these things half as much as we protect our new designer jeans or sports car, we would live more truly fulfilling lives.

One of the hardest things for me to do is to say “no.”  I must be allergic to the word, because I often fail to say “no” to the things that damage my time, energy and relationships.  I am often willing to risk myself and those who matter to me for the simple fear of what others might think if I say “no.”  My inner-voice should be my vault.  The quiet chamber where I place that which is sacred to me…my spouse, my children, my identity, my energy, my talents, my hopes.  Instead, I shame my inner peace, my personal integrity, and my inward compass to often please the people and things that are less significant to how I want to measure my success in life.

As 2015 was approaching, I was reflecting on the year and trying to envision the upcoming year.  The word that kept scrolling through my mind was the word "vault".  I assumed the repetitive thought meant I should place the sacred things of my world into my heart’s vault.  Insulate what matters to me.  When I started to reflect on the word, however, I quickly realized that the word vault has multiple meanings.  While a vault is a way of protecting valuables, the word also means to propel oneself.  How ironic: If I vault what is sacred, I can vault into my intended life.  Protecting results in propelling.

How much farther would we go if we edited our life down to the things that really mattered to us?  If our choices resulted in feeling a sense of true authenticity for how we spent our time, energy and relationships.  All of these things are priceless beyond measure, so what if we started treating them as the precious gems they are?  If you were told that your energy was worth a million dollars, would you spend it carelessly?  If you were told that your time was the most valuable stock on wall street, would you trade it so quickly?  If you were told that your family held their weight in gold, would you pawn them off to the closest dealer?  I think not; I hope not.

Changepoints:

We might wish to evaluate our vaults when:

·       We feel uneasy when we say “yes” to something that is counter to whom we really are.

·       We intuitively know we aren’t protecting the jewels in our life.

·       We go through a day and don’t really know how we have spent the time.

·       We feel loneliness even when we are living a crowded or busy life.

·       We know we are spinning our wheels on things that could be better spent propelling ourselves elsewhere.

o   What or who are the critical components of your life?

o   What are you doing to ensure you protect these areas?

2015.  The year for us to VAULT.  What do you need to vault?  Where do you want to vault?

outSIGHTin, LLC: Creating awareness as a changepoint for improved organizational results.