I had been looking forward to starting the brand new year with some exciting new projects. I was eager to jump back into the routine after the holidays, diving into working solo while the kids were in school and house was quiet. But doesn’t life always give you a curveball when you least expect it?
I was struck by a bad cold, then persistent coughs, followed by a lower back pain that basically stopped me from doing anything except lying on my bed. It’s been over 15 years since I had back pain this terrible. I almost forgot how fragile being a human is.
Over the past 2 decades I’ve had tons of conversations about how much I neglected my health when I first started out. Out of town business trips, long work hours, eating out, lack of exercise… all the hard core working ethics (aka workaholic) I thought I was following only brought me to a long season of chiropractic visits, physical therapy sessions, weight gain, etc. You would think that I’ve already learned these hard lessons, although apparently not recent enough.
So the familiar back pain returned last week. I’m still feeling the strain as I write this post. But I’ve decided to kick myself to do whatever it takes to stay “balanced” this time around — how I should pace my work, how I should prioritize my time & attention to people I value the most. After all, life is a marathon, not a sprint, even though the latter always feels more rewarding, doesn’t it? But for me right now, doing what ever it takes means doing nothing — simply rest and reset.
As a responsible grown up we don’t need anyone to remind us why taking care of our body is so important — diet, exercise, sleep. But once in a while we all need someone to tell us it’s ok to slow down, or even to put a stop to our work all together. Only when we pause and reflect will we find out whether our efforts are actually making a difference, whether we are getting closer to where we really want to go, not where everyone else is going.
If we can’t keep up with our own pace, none of our achievements will be sustainable in the long run. We’ll eventually need to make a U turn and clean up some messes we left along the way. It’d be such a disappointment especially if we’ve given up the opportunities to be the person we hope to be: a good parent, good spouse, good friend, good son or daughter… As much as we like pursuing our dreams we may never be able to go back to certain seasons once they’re gone.
Very few people look forward to flossing their teeth or going to routine dental exams. However everyone knows how crucial those good practices are down the road. It may actually be urgent if we need things fixed right away! If we want to Thrive on the Learning Curve and get to the end goal which often inspires us to even start in the first place, slowing down to rest & reflect frequently is simply a must. If you can choose would you rather break down unexpectedly, or slow down & rest periodically? What makes it so hard for us to choose the latter? Is it worth it?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below. Until next time, enjoy your course and Thrive on the Learning Curve!