The first step to getting out of a hole is to stop digging. It sounds obvious, but when I’m up to my knees in it, I often keep digging.
My most recent experience is with my shoulder injury. I injured my shoulder attempting to do an exercise that looked “easy” and I thought I “should be able to do”. Famous last words.
It’s been 6 months now and my shoulder still isn’t 100%. I had hoped that my two-week layoff after hernia surgery would allow it to heal. It didn’t.
However, my hernia surgery recovery did provide me with some clarity. I realized I had been overdoing it. I was exercising too intensely. I was pushing myself to do certain exercises I dreaded. Worst of all, I was trying to force my way through exercises that were painful to my shoulder.
Why? Because I had done these exercise before injuring my shoulder and thought “I should be able to do this”.
Well, I stopped digging about a week ago. I decided to skip any exercise that made my shoulder hurt- even the “easy ones”. It was an ego deflator. I no longer do any advanced pushup movements. I do partial pushups on my knees. I can’t do certain simple presses without pain, so I don’t do them either.
Within 3 days, the ache in my shoulder lessened. Within 5 days I realized I needed to continue this prootpocal until my shoulder is 100%. Perhaps even then I won’t add these movements back.
After all, I work out to look and fell good and to move well. There’s no point in doing exercises that cause me pain.
Duh.
In my life, I have repeatedly relearned this lesson.
- When trying to lose weight, the first step was to stop getting fatter by eating more calories than I needed.
- When I wanted to be a better husband, the first thing I had to do was stop making sarcastic, snarky comments to my wife.
- When I got out of debt, th first step was to stop spending more money than I earned each month.
The first step is so glaringly obvious, it’s like a slap in the face.
So why does it take me so long to stop digging?
Because I didn’t want to.
I wanted to workout like an animal the way I used to.
I wanted to eat whatever I want and still lose weight.
I wanted to buy whatever I want, but not be in debt.
Life doesn’t work that way.
If you are struggling with an ongoing problem, I encourage you to step back for a moment to rethink what you are doing. If you are still digging, you’ll know what to do first.