Running for me is an excellent way to “Sharpen the saw” because it lets me exercise physically and also gives me time to think. I did a long run yesterday, although I got a later start than I had planned to and it was hot. Really hot. And, after nine miles, I realized I really wanted to be done already but I wasn’t back to the car. So I just kept going. Actually, it was easier to keep running than slow down to walk.
If you’ve ever done much endurance running, you will know what I’m talking about. There comes a time when you have put your muscles through the repetitive motions so many times that to do something different actually causes pain or discomfort. Even when you are hot, tired, or out of gas, there can become a point where it’s just easier to keep doing what you are doing rather than ask your body to do something different.
Those of you who have never experienced this will have some doubts, but take my word for it, you can reach the point where you physically find it easier to keep running than to stop.
Actually, we can reach that point emotionally or mentally in life too. Have you ever been in a situation where you feel stuck but you don’t want to do what it takes to get “unstuck?” Maybe it’s a job that turned to a dead end or a relationship that no longer fits. Perhaps it’s time for a change but the pain of change is greater than the pain of staying the same.
Change is going to happen, sooner or later. We can’t stop it. Even when it hurts to stop running, I can’t run forever. Even when a situation is relatively comfortable, we can’t stay static forever. We are either going to grow through change intentionally or suffer change incidentally.
So, how do we get “unstuck” when we find ourselves faced with a situation we know we should change, but don’t want to?
- Weigh the benefits of change – what will you get out of it long term? Don’t focus too much on the negatives of the change because change will happen sooner or later anyway. If you spend all your time thinking on the reasons why you shouldn’t change, you will paralyze yourself and ultimately, you will experience change anyway, and it won’t be nearly as pleasant. Choices equal control.
- Identify the first (or next) action step – just focus on what you need to do next. Don’t worry too much about the next ten things you should do because the situation will change after you take that first step. Just focus on the first step (or next step) because if that one doesn’t happen, nothing else matters.
- Do it – take action, one step at a time. Don’t get bogged down in “what ifs” because we spend the majority of our time worrying about things that won’t actually happen or things that aren’t in our control anyway. Focus on what you can control and what you can act on, and then do it. Easier said than done, sure, but at the end of the day, it’s a decision to act and you either decide to do it or decide to not do it. But, either way, it’s a decision. Back up your decision with action or it wasn’t really a decision.
Like many, Resilience and Leadership Expert Ria Story faced adversity in life. Raised on an isolated farm in Alabama, she was sexually abused by her father from age 12 – 19. She was forced to play the role of a wife and even shared with other men due to her father’s perversions. Desperate to escape, she left home at 19 without a job, a car, or even a high school diploma. Unlike many, Ria learned to not only survive but thrive. She now shares her story to inspire hope in others. Sign up for her blog at: www.BeyondBoundAndBroken.com
