Turning an unexpected setback into an opportunity
I have been nursing an aching shoulder for three months and finally went to the doctor when sleep became an issue. Good sleep is a non-negotiable for me.
Interesting. I’ll tolerate and push through an ache for months, but a few nights of bad sleep had me running to the doctor. Hmmm, pretty sure there’s a message here, but that’s for another time.
Turns out one of the tendons that make up my rotator cuff is torn in my right shoulder which will require surgery. And, yep, I’m right-handed.
I’ve been processing a range of emotions, and finally my inner organizer, project manager and optimizer pushed their way to the front of the line and
Voilá!I realized this an amazing opportunity to share, in a real time, what I have been advocating with my community ~ being intentional how you use your time to ensure you are living your values and prioritizing what is most important to you.
I am using one of the greatest coaching gifts, perspective, to reframe a torn rotator cuff into a gift.
Instead of being stuck in the frame of mind of
“Woe is me and how disruptive.”
Yes, I hung out there for a bit.
I am choosing the perspective ~
“I get to continue serving my community and learn new skills.”
Both are values of mine and I’m approaching this with wonder and curiosity (and of course, some apprehension).
For the next 4-6 months, ensuring my right arm will last me another 57 years will dictate my decisions.
I’ll be preparing, prioritizing, pivoting, journaling, setting boundaries, creating value-driven schedules, etc.
I will share, first-hand, how to plan for a big project and the adjustments required along the way. Here is a sampling of skills that will be doing some heavy lifting over these next few months.
Planning for a project that will seriously impact my original intentions for the next few months. What am I doing to prepare? What I encounter along the way. What worked and what didn’t.
Brain dumps.
Prioritizing, re-prioritizing, repeat, repeat, repeat. My PT will be my top priority. What needs to give for that to happen? How consistent will I really be – intentions are one thing, but follow through, quite another.
The many ways to journal. As someone who journals daily with pen and paper, I’ll need to find another way. Recordings will have to be my new medium. What a great opportunity to experiment. Yay! Another value honored.
New habits. I expect bullet journaling will make an appearance.
Delegating and being dependent on others.
Perseverance when the journey is painful and disruptive.
Sharing authentically and honestly. There’s another value.
Being compassionate and patient with myself.
Being open to whatever I don’t even know to expect.
Did I mention I’ll be sharing this all by video?!?
I’d be lying if I said I’m not scared or nervous, but that’s ok. It’s all part of my journey.
My intent is to share brief video updates weekly. Here’s my first video. If you would like to come along for the ride and you’re not already on my email list, sign up here on my free resources page.
The topic may be surgery, but rest assured, the content will be the logistical components.
This will be an additional segment to my monthly newsletter. If this is not interesting to you, no worries, the monthly newsletter and blog will continue as normal.
Lots of changes here at A Clean Slate. How about you? What curve balls has life thrown you recently. Respond to this email to share and know you’re not alone.