Gratitude

      When you are pushing forward, it's easy to continually be looking towards the future - eyes to the horizon.  You think about everything you are working on and imagine what things will be like as you move forward.  Business will bigger and better, you'll have more money, eventually more time, your children will be easier to manage, you'll be able to travel more and all the things you dream about will be realized.  

     The problem with continually looking forward is that it makes the present moment seem duller in comparison.  You lose sight of all that you have because all you see are the things you don't have yet.  I am as guilty of looking forward as anyone.  When I was younger I frequently was so worried about what lay ahead that I lost sight of what was in front of me.



    As I stand at the threshold of a new year I am aware of all the things yet to come - there is so much I am working on and pushing toward.  And yet, I don't want to focus too much on the year ahead.  What will be will be.  Instead, I find myself looking back at the year that has passed.  

Me and my siblings on the eve of my sisters wedding.

      2014 was an amazing year.  When I reflect on all that happened, I am filled with a sense of gratitude and wonder.  I love my family.  I love the things I am working on.  I am grateful for the country I live in and all the people who make it great.  We live in an amazing world filled with such beauty and wonder.  All it takes to see it is to slow down a little and look around.  

My Chloe, under a chalk umbrella she drew.

      As I move forward into the new year, I am trying to keep everything in perspective.  I have an awareness of what's on the horizon, but I am not focused on it.  I am grateful for everything in my past that has brought me to this moment, but I am not dwelling on it.  There is so much to be thankful for and I am making an effort to focus on that.  My desire for this year is to be present in the moment and live life to its fullest.

      

Plantar Fasciitis - An Uncomfortable Reality

     I met my friend Kathryn a little over a year ago.  In the course of our early conversations, she shared with me that she had been struggling with Plantar Fasciitis (severe pain in her foot).  It had come on slowly and she had tried to manage things the best she could - not knowing what to do to aleviate the problem.  After dealing with it for months, she had turned to expert advice to try and help her, but to little effect.  At night she was sleeping with a boot on her foot to try and manage the pain.  Going forward she was facing the prospect of either dealing with the problem for years to come or surgery.  

     Correcting a problem like Plantar Fasciitis involves looking at all the contributing factors and then doing the work that is necessary to make things better.  This is where most people struggle, because looking at problems can reveal certain uncomfortable truths.  On top of that, the work that is necessary to correct things is often brutally painful.  Moving forward can be difficult because it means letting go of ego, being honest about the cause of the problems, and being committed to the process.   
     Talking with Kathryn about her foot, I told her I could fix the problem, but that she had to be aware of what was involved.  I would pull no punches, either in what I saw the problem was or in the work that was necessary to correct it.  It would be a painful process.  This is where a lot of people are stopped cold.  They don't want to hear the truth of what's wrong or they think that they shouldn't have to do the work needed to move forward.  Often times, the only way they will finally address the problem is when the daily pain and hassle of dealing with it outweighs doing what is necessary to correct it.  

      Digging into things, I identified several factors that needed to be addressed.  The fascia in her foot needed to be worked on.  The calf needed to be loosened with heavy bodywork.  Her diet needed to be changed with a higher emphasis on protein and good fat for recovery.  Her spine needed to be aligned and her posture worked on.  Addressing these factors is difficult because it touches on sensitive issues of personal choices, body image, accountability and the like.  At one point or another every athlete I've ever worked with has expressed frustration with what I am telling them.  It's uncomfortable to be confronted with things that need to be worked through.  
       We started with heavy bodywork on the foot and calf.  This is an incredibly painful process.  It can feel like knives digging into the muscle.  Several people have commented to me that body work is the worst pain they've ever experienced.  After a session, there is a feeling of having been beaten up.  But, with rest and a good diet, the muscle can rebuild without the knots and tightness.  
     Everything is connected in the body, which is why it's important to address all the components of a problem.  In Kathryn's case that involved looking at the tightness in the calf, hip alignment, posture and weight in terms of how it affected her foot.  After months of working through the problem we were able to largely eliminate her Plantar Fasciitis.  I've explained to her that long term it's critical for her health to maintain good behaviors and continue improving her health habits.  That means rolling out her calves after working out and keeping them loose, keeping her spine aligned and her core strong, eating high quality food, and the like.   

 

     The truth of addressing serious problems or making fundamental changes in health is that you have to be committed to the process. Doing things only half way will only result in marginal outcomes. As the saying goes, "You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps." That doesn't mean trying to change everything all at once - it's okay to do things little by little.  What's important is to do them all the way.  Every day focus on getting better.  

     The thing that is so damaging about dealing with chronic pain or body issues is that it has a debilitating effect on every aspect of life.  It limits what a person is capable of.  More than that, it affects beliefs about what is possible.  For example, it's hard to imagine doing something like running a marathon when it's painful just to walk to the kitchen.  As Kathryn's foot has healed and the constant pain has subsided she has been able to consider new possibilities.  She started riding her bike more regularly and completed her first 100 mile ride a month ago.  A few weeks ago she went for her first run in over a year.  With the understanding of how to deal with Plantar Fasciitis and avoid similar problems in the future, she can focus on moving forward and finding new goals and pursuits. Semper Porro.

Pride

     We live in an entitlement culture.  Everyone is great, everyone is fantastic.   Always be positive, don't be negative.  Gold stars all around.  In my years of teaching and coaching, I have come to learn that this attitude - the belief that every student or athlete is somehow special - is the main impediment to moving forward.  If you already think you know better or that you are indeed special, then you won't be prepared to do what needs to be done to move forward.  As an instructor there have been many times that a student has informed me that they know better and don't need to hear what I am telling them.  Or, they agree with me - and then carry on exactly as they were.  After all, if you are special and amazing and awesome, you are already doing everything you need to be doing.  

     Often times, the only way for a person to move forward is to be humbled.  Pride is the impediment to success.  The problem is, in our entitlement culture, we have mistaken true pride and actual accomplishment for false pride and misplaced praise.  True pride is the satisfaction that comes in accomplishing something.  It's real and tangible.  It's the reward for actual achievements.  False pride is the fake projection that people create for themselves as a way to boost their confidence or make themselves feel better.  They tell themselves that they are more exceptional than they actually are to mask the reality of where they are at.  The truth of the matter is though, nobody is special.  Some people just do special things.  

      When all is said and done, what matters is what a person does.  As the saying goes, talk is cheap.  Actions speak louder than words.  For people raised with a sense of misplaced entitlement or self belief, the only way to connect with reality and move forward is to be humbled.  The false pride and unrealistic projections must be broken down.  For people who have lived with an inflated sense of where they are, that can be a bitter pill to swallow.  It's especially hard for people who are smart and for who success has come easily at first.  Everyone must face reality at a certain point though, whether it's because they didn't get into the school they wanted, or they were turned down for a job, or they got dropped in a race they were targeting.  

     The fact of the matter is, reality is hard.  Success does not come easily.  A lot of the time, even when you work and work at something, you still will fail.  And there will be no gold stars.  Just mild words of sympathy - better luck next time.  And so a lot of people try to make the best of things.  They put a positive spin on where they are at.  They say they tried.  Others try to deny reality.  They make excuses.  They point out the obstacles that were against them.  They give up because things are hard.  Successful people stay the course and find a way to get the things that they want.  They have no false pride. They are committed to reality and do what is necessary to move forward.  

     The question of whether a person has the right process is simple.  Do they get the things they want?  A person rooted in reality sees what is needed to achieve what they want and then does what is necessary to accomplish their goal.  They accept critical feedback and make changes to keep moving forward.  They have no false sense of accomplishment.  The pride that they do have is in a job well done.  Semper Porro.