How to get through anything
Analyze the issue.
Take action.
Tell yourself that eventually, whatever happens, this will be over.
My 2nd hernia has spurred me to take the following actions:
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- See the doctor and schedule surgery.
- Update my “in case I die” instructions for my heirs.
- Ask my friend and neighbor for a ride home after the surgery and to be my emergency backup to care for the dogs, if something goes wrong.
- Plan for my recovery by reviewing my notes from my previous hernia surgery and recovery.
- Order 2 more ice packs to reduce post-op swelling and pain.
- Plan my activities for 2-4 weeks of down time.
I anticipate this experience will be similar to my first hernia surgery.
I suspect I had a second as far back as 10 months ago, but wasn’t ready then to face another surgery. Well time, annoyance and an ever-growing protruding intestine eventually made me change my mind.
If it all goes wrong and I die on the OR table, that would be perfectly fine too. It’s highly unlikely but would be a great way to go out (under sedation and conscious of nothing).
For what it’s worth, I used this same approach for nearly every challenge, goal and difficulty I’ve had in life:
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- Starting in a new school (1st grade, 3rd grade, 6the grade, 9th grade, College
- Joining the Division 1 wrestling team
- Starting new jobs
- Relocating
- Giving speeches
- The Road Trip
- Caring for my wife after surgeries
- Learning to play drums, to be a salesman, to be a stepfather
I always though of myself as an intellectual. A thinker.
In retrospect, I am a doer. I think and then I act.
Plow forward my friends.