“Listening is a very deep practice….You have to empty yourself. You have to leave space in order to listen….especially to people we think are our enemies – the ones we believe are making our situation worse. When you have shown your capacity for listening and understanding, the other person will begin to listen to you, and you have a change to tell him or her of your pain, and it’s your turn to be healed. This is the practice of peace.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
As Christmas day draws to a close I find myself alone (on Christmas) for the first time in 42 years. I was fortunate to spend most of the day celebrating with family, but circumstances beyond my control put me in a position to be sitting here pecking away at my computer in an empty house.
I’ve dreaded this ending to an otherwise good day and I’ve had to contemplate how to end this day. Do I chose to be sad and go to bed broken and defeated, or do I chose to rise above my circumstances and chose to go to be energized to face a new day tomorrow.
Had this happened in years past I may (likely) have chosen to end the day depressed and defeated, but as I have dug out of the fog that has limited me I realize that the clear choice is to rise above. Oddly I feel empowered by my ability to make such a choice, and proud that I am finally aware in my heart that I can make such choices.
I feel for those who have spent the day alone, or at work, or otherwise isolated by circumstances beyond their control. I am glad I was able to spend most of the day with loved ones and that sleep will quickly end whatever isolation I may have felt. I am also glad that I know I can chose how my day ends.
This Christmas has been a good one and I will not allow it to end on a sour note. Much of my world is beyond my control, but those things that I can control, I will.
Merry Christmas to all.
It’s late Sunday and I’m taking a minute to reflect on the week past, as well as what awaits for the week ahead. This time of year (December) is always crazy, and it’s getting more crazy by the hour.
On Wed, we had a very blah chest workout, followed by a much better back workout on Thursday. Earlier today (Sunday) we had a really good leg workout. I still have a nagging shoulder injury that I can’t shake that is affecting some upper body movements as well as how I sleep, and yesterday I smashed my knee in the door and then twisted it hunting down the Fountain family christmas tree.
I worked a lot this week. On several occasions I left the house in the morning and didn’t return until 11 or 12. I haven’t slept much thanks to whatever it is that keeps from entering deep sleep.
But I overcame all of it. Despite the injuries, I jumped in the leg press and pounded out a couple good sets. I’ve continued to make progress working on our website (naturalprofitnesscoaching.com), and despite falling asleep a few times at work, I’ve maintained a pretty even keel emotionally.
Like Arnold’s quote says, I haven’t been living with my hands in my pockets. Unfortunately weeks like this happen, things slow to a crawl, and some mornings it takes most of my energy to get out of bed and start my day.
But time passes, things get better, and I’m learning to focus every day on little victories as they happen. And it works. One minute at a time, one step at time, one little victory at a time.
Consistent effort = results, even if they are slow!
Natural Pro Fitness Coaching » The Flood is Coming
4 weeks until January 1, 2014. I thought I’d write a short post about the coming flood of people about to hit the gym. I put a few tips for the New Year’s resolution crowd, as well as a free worksheet I developed to help people chose a new gym. I also took the odd approach of adding some tips for the people who are in the gym year-round and feel like January 1 is like feeding time at the zoo.
Can’t we all just get along?
Mentally Strong People: The 13 Things They Avoid – BBN News
For all the time executives spend concerned about physical strength and health, when it comes down to it, mental strength can mean even more. Particularly for entrepreneurs, numerous articles talk about critical characteristics of mental strength—tenacity, “grit”, optimism, and an unfailing ability as Forbes contributor David Williams says, to “fail up.” However, we can also […]