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Speed Bumps
Well, I’m halfway through the weekend and I still haven’t accomplished half as much as I’d intended to have done by now. Between recovering from various injuries and non-work obligations, it’s a wonder I got anything done this week!
Literal
If you haven’t heard before, I live in Pennsylvania which is also known as Potholevania. The weather conditions are just right for seasonal infrastructure disruption.
Between the giant craters that spontaneously erupt from the macadam and the wildlife that hasn’t yet learned to look both ways before crossing, Pennsylvania roads can be nerve-wrackingly hazardous.
There are a number of ways to deal with this kind of adversity:
- You can plan your route around known obstacles
- You can get a vehicle that has lots of clearance and really good suspension
- You can leave the driving to someone else
- You can just stay home and let the UPS guy bring everything you need to you.
- Go live in a cave and forget about the modern world
Some solutions are better than others, but you have to figure out what works best for you.
Knowing that the obstacles are there is half the battle. When you’re in unfamiliar territory, it’s easy to give in to the fear and proceed slowly and timidly.
That’s fine. Everybody has to learn at their own speed.
I’ve been driving since the early 80s, so I’m pretty confident that I can get through most types of traffic. I’ve done rush hou
r in New York City a couple of times and survived.
I also know what’s outside of my comfort zone. I haven’t trained to drive on the left side of the road, so wouldn’t be in a hurry to try driving in the UK.
Mumbai traffic? Fuggedaboutit!
In any case, you have to know what you’re getting into in order to know whether or not you can cope with it. This is true in the physical world as well as the mental realm.
Figurative
There are a lot of things that get in our way in the course of getting things done. Some are avoidable and some are not.
It helps to know where you want to go so you can focus on the destination as well as navigating the obstacles that assert themselves.
Sometimes, these obstacles are of your own making. It’s so easy to get caught up in a time-suck like social media, video games or other entertainment.
Granted, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
By the same token, all play and no work makes Jack a broke boy.
Sometimes the obstacles assert themselves. Seasons and reasons lead to family obligations that could impact your productivity.
Granted, you gotta keep your nose to the grindstone and your shoulder to the wheel in order to make the bacon.
(Gee, Rob, how many cliches can you squeeze into a single sentence?)
By the same token, what are you trying to be successful for? Don’t you want to spend more time with your friends and family?
Regardless of whether you construct the obstacles in your mind or whether they pop up by surprise, the important thing is that you continue to press on toward your goal.
Whether you have to go around, over or even under whatever life hands you, the important thing is to press on toward your goals as best you can.
Shock Absorbers
Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. ~Tony Robbins
With life’s potholes, speed bumps and rampaging herds of deer, it helps to have some coping mechanisms. On a car, it’s the shock absorbers that take a bit of the pain out of the bumps in the road.
In our minds, we need to have the emotional and psychological equivalents of shock absorbers and bull bars and airbags.
The mistake that people make is that they insulate themselves from everything instead of just the stressors. We like to generalize. Our mind wants to protect itself by identifying everything and everyone as a threat.
That’s no way to live.
You need to learn to discern what’s harmful from what’s not. That can be really tough.
I’ve been in situations where everything was overwhelming. Everything was a threat. Everything was too much to deal with.
It took a long time to recover from that.
I hope you’re not there, but if you are I’m here to tell you that you can come back. If I can only offer you that tiny glimmer of hope, please hold on to that.
You can come back. I did. You can, too.
Well, I needed a pep talk to help me push on through all the random muddle of everyday life. If you needed one too, I hope listening in on mine helped you some. Have a great weekend!