Are you getting tired? Is being kind to people a little harder than usual? It is that time of year for teachers, parents, and kids when fatigue leads to discouragement. Yet it often takes a mind shift to downshift.
Sunday was a beautiful afternoon and I decided it was time to get some exercise. So I got my bike out of the storage shed and cleaned it off for its first excursion of the summer. It took a few minutes to get the routine down: get dressed properly, put helmet on, pack water and snacks, a paper towel, cell phone, shades, and of course a book or journal.
My husband, Tom, was kind enough to put air in the tires and send me off with good wishes.
Tom knows that I tend be driven to push myself, which on the bike means that I almost always ride in high gear. I don’t usually travel far and have been convinced that it will strengthen my legs muscles if I ride over small hills in high gear. Short rides but intense ones will do the trick and help me keep fit. Or so I have believed.
But something shifted for me (pun intended) on Sunday afternoon. This time, something about the way Tom sent me off penetrated my well worn belief. He simply smiled and said, “You know you have something to help when your muscles get tired.” I grinned. He pointed to the gear shift and said, “You can downshift.” I chuckled and his eyes twinkled. I know he is right. Lowering the gear lessens resistance and makes climbing hills easier.
His playful and nonjudgmental way of delivering the message was nonthreatening and light hearted. It created a teeny tiny crack in my stubborn belief system. And he did not say “when you get tired” but specifically said “when your muscles get tired.” Somehow that made it more about an objective criteria and less about personal failure. Little things like that can make a difference in our perspectives. It is amazing. Often our beliefs are not based on nearly the solid facts and truth as we tell ourselves. Fortunately, they can be upgraded!
I wonder . . .
What beliefs do you hold that may be making things harder than they need to be in your work or in your parenting? Are some of your beliefs holding you hostage and causing you self-inflicted fatigue?
His words and kindness melted me and it was a fabulous ride where the sky was clear and my heart was light. And when I climbed the hills I heard . . . “You know you have something for tired muscles” It gave me a choice.
How are you pushing yourself? Do you need to downshift? What mechanism do you have to help you shift gears?
There are certainly many hills in life and tools are needed to help us.
We do have some tools that are as handy as the gear shift on my bike. This week I am recommending a book for you. It is a handy size, light weight to carry, and filled with wisdom. It is called The Tools (5 tools to help you find courage, creativity, and willpower and inspire you to live life in forward motion) by Phil Stutz & Barry Michels. It is recommended by Dr. Oz and Marianne Williamson and many others.
I am changing my mind about how to do bike rides on the hills. And nearly all changes start in our mind.
Solomon, our wisdom assistant, says we all can start by talking to ourselves and each other kindly ~~ like Tom talked to me. It is one way to lessen inner resistance and ease our climbs. A simple story . . . a simple reminder . . . not necessarily easy . . . but it just might be wise.
It takes a mind shift to use the tools necessary to downshift.
