Choppy Water
I listened to the tale of an amazing adventure to The Grand Canyon taken by two dear friends of mine recently. This trip is on my bucket list. This telling of this great adventure was so aligned to a concept I have been working on recently. Funny how the Universe delivers a creative way to navigate an area of personal growth. If you are open to receiving it. The concept is the willingness to sit in the choppy water of life’s circumstances rather than rushing to get out. Taking it a step further is to ask the question” What is in this choppy water situation has been brought to me as a learning opportunity?
Rushing through the discomfort of choppy water seems like a really good idea, at the time. But, the choppy water might be the place we are supposed to be at that moment in time. The place of growth, the place of real grit and determination. The birthplace of confidence. But Kim, you might ask, is it not better to move on? Why should we waste time being uncomfortable when there is a calm sandy beach on the shore with a fluffy towel and ice water waiting for me?
Have you found yourself in choppy water before? Did you label it is as such? What did it feel like for you? Did you focus on the closest exit ? The answers for me are Yes, No, Uncomfortable and absolutely. I have a clear memory of myself a few years back in a alligator inhabited pond in Florida. As the start to my heat of a sprint triathlon approached, I was experiencing my usual pre race anxiety created by thoughts like “what were you thinking signing up for this, its going to suck, its cold, dark and I just want to go home”. The usual junk. BUT, when the announcer informed the athletes that the pond had been searched for alligators just prior to race my brain went to anxiety on steroids. I had never considered alligators in the decision tree, I was panicked. The calm pond went to choppy with a side of alligators and every ounce of me wanted to run away. But I did not. I pulled on my cap and goggles stepped into the water and when the gun went off, I swam faster than I ever had in my entire life. I am not a fast swimmer but that day my trustee cheerleader, Michael, told me that he watched my cap move like I was being chased. He did not know at the time that in my mind I was 100 % being chased by the fear. Yes, its funny and yes its extreme but that day, the choppy water had an important gift for me. I managed the choppy and earned myself a second place finish in my age group.
Where are the choppy areas of life? Maybe you are experiencing a challenging personal relationship in which you find yourself torn between option A- ghost them and option B- sit in the discomfort, think about what a successful communication might look like. Or perhaps you are experiencing dissatisfaction with your work and the effort to do something about it feels challenging so you avoid the choppy water of examining what might need to happen to find new work.
In my coaching work I share the idea that life is 50/50. 50 % will be smooth, fun, happy and 50 % will be challenging. Of course this is an average because there are times when it feels anything but 50/50. The most relevant part of this idea is that as humans, we are equipped with the ability to manage both and in fact we need to experience both or neither actually have any relevance. We need the comparison. Understanding this fully can be freeing in so many ways. For me it offers confidence. If I am designed to handle the easy and the challenge then I am capable of handling them. Maybe this is the take away for you today. Life will present us with choppy water. We have the rush through it or avoid it options. I am learning that wading in and seeing what the choppy water has for me to learn is the path to an even better me.
Peace,
K
