I dance a lot for someone who is not a professional. It is one of the ways I keep the thriving energy around in my life. So when I kneeled down a few days ago and felt a twinge in my knee, I listened to it.
Normally, I don’t notice my knees. But now I was feeling a tiny area of pain along with a sensation of swelling. Not enough to head off to a doctor. Enough to give it some attention before it became a serious issue.
In thinking about it, I realized that like so many things in life, there is a parallel between how I was approaching my knee issue and how I know approach life issues.
In the past, I tended to ignore things. Pretending something isn’t happening or denying that which we would prefer not to face is a common survival tool. Sometimes it works to our benefit, but most often there comes a point where it sneaks up behind us and bites us in the ass.
These days, I take a much more proactive approach thanks to the coaching paradigm I use to live my life by. Here is a side by side comparison of facing the knee issue:
In The Past Now
1. Ignore it. It will go away. 1. Listen to my body
2. Power through it no matter what 2. Apply tools – in this case rest & ice
3. Business as usual no matter what 3. Cut back on my dancing
4. Adopt a tough you can take it attitude 4. Eliminate action triggering the strain
5. Apply a short term fix 5. Allow the tender area to heal fully
Check back in this Friday, July 8th to find out what sore knees have to do with coaching. It’s a tip you won’t want to miss.
