It will be great to get back to my regular daily routine soon of working out, swimming, dog walking and doing stuff. As much as I miss it, I will be making some changes.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am cutting back the volume of physical exercise I’ve been doing in an effort to stay healthy and injury free. I suspect I’ve been overdoing this which has contributed to too many injuries.
As much as I enjoy being extremely active, I despise being hampered by injuries. There’s a balance between the two that I need to reach.
When I’m into something, I tend to be hyper-focused and obsessive about it. I’ve been this way my entire life.
I’ve done it with:
- Academics
- Work
- Marriage/Family
- Fitness
- Diet
- Frugality
- Weight Lifting
- Swimming
- And many other activities
This single-mindedness served me well.
I graduated at the top of my high school class, got scholarships and made Dean’s list at college. I moved up the career ladder which provided a good life for my wife and I, before eventually enabling me to retire early. I spent half of my life being physically fit and lean instead of fat – even moreso in the last 10 years.
But it also had its downsides.
I neglected building a well-rounded life. I let my social life dwindle away. I turned away from opportunities for growth, travel and experiences because they would interrupt my schedule and routine.
And, as mentioned above, I hurt myself physically too.
I am intentionally not try to put less presume on myself to reach arbitrary goals that I create in my mind.
I have given up on a number of physical feats of strength – like muscle ups, human flagpoles, freestanding handstands, full planches and other tricks I see people do online all the time. Maybe I could have learned to do these when I was younger. Today, it’s not worth the risk of injury to me.
I have accepted that I’ll never be a millionaire or be a C-level executive at a Fortune 500 company. I realized this about 10 years ago, when I purposely withdrew from consideration for a VP role because the requirements for travel, politics, and a$$ kissing would be unacceptable for me, regardless of the pay.
Having a mansion, owning a luxury car, having a close knit family, getting married again and owning big dogs have all fallen off of my bucket list. Some I no longer have an interest in. For others, I am no longer willing to put in the effort required. A few, I’ve had a taste of and found they weren’t as rewarding as I expected.
As importantly, I no longer have anyone counting on me. I have absolutely no outside pressure to take care of anyone (other than my dogs). Having that pressure removed – whether it was internally imagined or externally imposed – has freed me to experiment with life.
It’s why I started drumming again – and why I am OK with quitting now.
It’s why I was able to learn to paint, draw and now spend hours a week doing Urban Sketches that nobody will ever see.
It’s why I can paint my fridge and stain my own cabinets, without worrying how it will impact the “resale” value of my home.
Sometimes I need to remind myself of this – like when I push myself too hard to make something happen – whether that’s pushing through an injury, trying to turn a date into a relationship or simply wishing things were different.
Things aren’t different. They are what they are. Sometimes TUF. Sometimes not.
I can fight reality and pay the price. Or I can accept reality, pay that price and direct my attention toward something I can affect.