Part 1 of 3: Stuck
We tend to share our best moments on Facebook, but today is not one of those shares. I had a rough February. I experienced a fair amount of pain and suffering. Not in comparison to others around the world, just for me. I acknowledge before I begin that I have nothing to complain about. I am grateful for every blessing in my life. That being said, if we only ever share our wins, how we can learn from each other on what to do when we are feeling down?
So what got my feeling down? I’ll keep it short and to the point. I injured my hip, which brought my inspired exercise regimen and 2022 fitness goals to a sudden halt. An old friend/colleague of mine died tragically in a ski accident, leaving his mom, wife, son and our shared community heartbroken. On the very same evening I attended his Celebration of Life, my roommate and close friend from college suffered a major heart attack after attending a concert with all my college buddies in Vegas. After being placed in a coma by doctors, while we all held our breath and hoped for a miracle, a week later a second heart attack ended his life.
Somewhere in that mix the invasion of Ukraine began. I found myself reading and watching far too much of that misery, and before you know it, the combination of all these events broke my spirit and put me in an uninspired mindset. This is not a good zone for me to be in, as I am literally fueled by inspiration. It keeps this car running!
Yes, the guy who runs a group called ‘The Inspired’, and has plenty to be grateful for, can become wholefully uninspired. And when I become uninspired, I suffer.
Fortunately, I mentor & coach people on how to dig out of such a hole by reconnecting to their purpose and using inspiration as fuel. I also have a supportive wife and some amazing friends who noticed, and who would not let me stay this way for too long.
That being said, I gotta be honest, even with all the support and the mindset tools in my toolkit, it took a minute. Why? Cause I was stuck. And when we are stuck, sometimes your heart wants to stay that way for a minute. Others can offer love, tactics and solutions all they want, but a stuck person is not gonna hear any of it. If the heart wants to be stuck, it’s gonna stay that way until it figures out the root cause.
Why was I stuck? I knew why I was sad. Even one of the aforementioned events had the power to make anyone sad. But I was self aware enough to know that these events didn’t cause me to be stuck. I knew it had actually started before February. I could even pinpoint the trigger, but not the real underlying reason. It was my job to figure out why.
More on how I worked through this suffering in the days to come. The good news is I’m good now. Today I fly to Hawaii with my beautiful parents to take them on another epic vacation. So please, no need to reach out to see if I’m ok. I’m golden. But I do want to share this story with you, in the hope that it inspires a path to healing in your future, when it’s your turn to feel down.
