They say you can't really start a new journey until you have finished the last one....but what about layovers and extended stays? Vacation add ons of sort.....Well, this wasn't much of a vacation and I am ready to pack my bags for a new destination.
I have been blessed with the opportunity (you like that positive spin ??) to strongly contemplate new beginnings and moving on and thought I would take some time to write about them today.
I believe moving on requires taking time to learn from the lessons of the last journey and making a conscious decision to apply that learning going forward. Sometimes this is easy, when the lessons are clear--remember the days of childhood figuring out what was hot (ouch), what was cold (brr), what would happen if you tried to mouth off to your older brother (super ouch). Those lessons were often, immediate, heightened, and had a significant emotional or physical impact. That's HOT--don't touch it or Wow--getting punched in the arm from my older brother hurts! Pain is a teacher and has purpose. However, as we get older, the lessons are sometimes a bit more complicated to decipher --requiring more thought, analysis or purposeful thinking. As I embark on a new journey, I wish the only lesson to learn from the last one was, "that was HOT...ouch....don't touch it again". Hmmmmm.....maybe that was the lesson.....
Lesson application can also be a slow process because some learnings morph into a different appearance, only to get part of the way through it and realize, deja vu! I have been here before and I know what to do--change paths, punt, about face, etc. I tend to get frustrated with this process but can't seem to avoid the pitfall. I think that is basically because, as humans, we are creatures of habit. We all have our story and that program is usually the governing body of all decisions. To make NEW decisions, we often have to change our story---and that I am learning, is one of the hardest tasks of all. I guess its not a new concept--after all, there have been religious wars going on for centuries in the middle east because one side has their story, and the others theirs, and never the two shall meet. It happens all the time...and despite our efforts to try and really understand, empathize and respect another's story, if it doesn't resonate with ours, our mind dismisses it--consciously or not.
So with all these obstacles....how does one pull out of the new station so to speak? I think the answer is simple but perhaps the process is difficult. The answer: because we decide to. We make the choice. Just do it! Take the plunge. The journey of a lifetime begins with one step.....The HOW is easy. Its the timing, reasoning and overcoming of fear that needs management.
Well, I have no fear. I am done, dealt with, washed the clothes and already put them up from the last trip (maybe the suitcase is still in the hall...but its empty...or waiting to be packed). Time to go...and as this relates to Ironman, so far so good on this week of training (don't burst my bubble by telling me its only Tuesday). I am batting 1.000 and plan to keep it that way. And if I don't, I'll try again.....tomorrow.
All aboard!!!
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