When you find yourself in extremely difficult situations, take it one step at a time. I love the image Joe De Sena gives of running — just to the next telephone pole, not the total distance.
“The way to get through anything mentally painful is to take it a little at a time. The mind can’t handle dealing with a massive iceberg of pain in front of it, but it can deal with short nuggets that will come to an end. So instead of thinking, Ugh, I’ve got twenty-four miles to go, focus on making it to the next telephone pole in the distance…the ability to compartmentalize pain into these small bite sizes is key.” ~ Joe De Sena from Spartan Up!
When coaching grief groups, I’m often surrounded by people whose lives have just been shaken to the core — the loss of a lifelong partner, the death of a parent, or even a child. At these times, it feels like the very foundation has dropped out, and they are navigating the world with no floors or ground. I cannot take away their pain, I can only help them navigate the waters until the waves become less violent. At those times, one of the best remedies is to not try to visualize life in total — which feels hopeless and overwhelming — but to visualize getting through the current day, or even hour.
Whatever in your life is stopping you in your tracks — even if it is just today’s work — can be compartmentalized to it’s smaller components and tackled one at a time.
If you find yourself not taking action because the task feels too big, or the result too risky — try this technique. Because moving forward, even one small step, will help you improve your outlook and your results.
