From Limited to Unlimited…
On November 01, 2009 in Thought for the Day
Eight weeks following foot surgery, I was finally able to get out of my surgical boot. And though I get a twinge of pain every now and then (they say that is a sign of it healing!), I was more struck by how this boot and recovery changed my days and forced me to see life and work in a completely different way. What I thought would be a limiting situation actually became an empowering one…let me tell you what I mean.
We are all truly creatures of habit – we love our patterns. And to recover from the foot surgery I had to change most every pattern I had – how to sleep, how to get around, how to travel, how to go up and down stairs. I had to pass on exercising and needed help with things I never needed help with before. So many things changed. At first I was aware of how limiting things were – particularly for someone so independent. But its limits forced me to see things and solve things in a new way. So the “limited” became “unlimited.”
Most of us are stuck, doing the same things over and over – like at the coffee store when we always order the “regular.” But when we change our patterns – by choice or by necessity, we invite new perspectives. I met different people being at the house more; I engaged in more discussions with people (who commented on my “boot”). As a passenger more than a driver, I noticed things in my neighborhood I never remembered seeing. It was as if I had a new set of eyes or had moved to a new place. My world limited by surgery recovery was now unlimited – new things to see, new things to think about, new people, new places…different, fresh, empowering and engaging…
Lesson learned – get good at changing things up and breaking your patterns in work and life.
At work, commute in a different way – take a different route or take public transportation if you previously drove. Bring your lunch instead of going out and see who you share lunchtime with and what they think. Start a conversation with someone in a different department. Ask for a new responsibility that will encourage you to learn and grow.
In life, read something you would never have read – something with a completely opposite perspective to yours. Buy one new food item at the grocery store a week to try. Contact one new person from your past on Facebook and see what he or she is doing. Start to blog about what you think or read one new blog a week. Call someone you lost touch with. Go to a store you have never been to. Try a different coffee or bagel in the morning.
An inconvenience such as recovery from surgery can be a pain (I had to say that) or a gift. And the only difference is your outlook. So managers, change how you manage to improve relationships with your employees. Employees, change what you see and read – and use what you learn to invent ways to help your company be better. And as people, try new things to see if they add greater value to your life.
Do something different. It will show you how small we allow our worlds to become and how big the real world is. And in the process, you may find great things you never knew you never knew. And wouldn’t that be great. And if not, you can always go back to your patterns.
For more information about living and working with passion and power, see www.LiveFiredUp.com.
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