I was at the doctor’s office recently and received a clean bill of health!
What most of you in the ZannFan community don’t know is that, earlier in the year, I had an accident that resulted in a bum left knee and a fractured right wrist.
What happened? It would be fun to tell you I was skiing Black Diamond runs in Vail. Alas, that wasn’t the case.
I was simply walking across the street in my neighborhood. At the moment I stepped off the street and onto the sidewalk, I looked at my phone. Yes, my friends, I tripped on the sidewalk. And I tripped really, really well!
I did a belly flop so hard it knocked the wind out of me. (Don’t you hate it when you can’t catch your breath?) My glasses flew off my face. (They didn’t break). My phone went flying. (That, however, did crack). People came running to help me. I was in Urgent Care within the hour.
The result: A hematoma on my left knee the size of a grapefruit. (Ouch). And a fracture to my right wrist. I became the proud owner of my first cast. A cast I would wear for four weeks. (Inconvenient Ouch).
Yes, I am right handed. Yes, I live alone. Yes, this was going to be very challenging and inconvenient. Yes, I learned many fascinating new lessons over those four weeks … and reinforced some old ones. I’ve wanted to share these lessons with you … and today we begin.
Lesson #1: Life happens. It’s how you respond!
For those of you who know my work, you know I coach on this topic all the time. And here was a painful opportunity to practice what I preach.
There I was in the Urgent Care waiting room with my neighbor who was kind enough to drive me. I had ice packs on both my wrist and my knee. I knew my wrist was really hurt. I just didn’t know to what degree. As I sat there … the reality of my busy life flashed before my eyes. I instantaneously worked my way into a high level of anxiety. “Holy smokes! What am I going to do with a cast on my wrist? I’m too busy for this! I have speaking gigs every weekend this month. I have projects to complete with deadlines! How will I write? How will I travel? How will I present? How will I wash my face, eat, bathe, dress? Yikes! (And I didn’t even think of the many other things that would prove challenging … like writing bills, grocery shopping, putting on make-up or blow drying my hair.) Hah!
My neighbor, who didn’t really know me at the time, quietly watched as in less than 5 minutes, I went from “normal, happy, albeit injured Leslie” to “Yikes! What am I going to do? This is a disaster! I am flipping out!” Leslie.
In that moment of high anxiety and fear, I caught myself before I went over the edge. I knew from experience that I was in what I call my ‘moment of choice.’ I was in that moment right after adversity strikes … when I get to choose how I will respond. I turned to my neighbor and smiled and said, “This is going to be fascinating!” We both visibly relaxed and he began to distract me with funny stories about his career in law enforcement.
Within the hour, I was called in to see the doctor. As I followed the nurse, I was scared but calm. I was hurt but accepting. I was in the dark about my future, but knew that whatever happened, I would deal with it.
As the doctor went through the process of taking tests and x-rays, evaluating the results and ultimately setting my wrist in a temporary cast, we talked about what happened. I cracked myself up sharing the craziness of the situation. I told him, “Oprah says ‘Don’t text and drive.’ Leslie says, ‘Don’t walk and look at your phone!’” Hah! As he finished setting my cast, he looked at me and asked, “What do you do for a living? You have such a positive personality.”
My positive personality is not an accident. I wasn’t born that way! I’ve faced plenty of adversity over the years, and I’ve learned that responding positively is a lot more effective than responding negatively. But it doesn’t just happen. It’s a choice. By choosing to respond positively in those small moments of adversity we all face every day, we learn how to be PROactive in our response … rather than REactive. And the way to master and sustain that proactive stance is to practice personal development.
Life happens. And in those moments of adversity – big or small – we get to decide how we will respond. What about you? When adversity strikes … do you habitually react out of fear and anxiety? Or do you consciously choose to respond on your terms, positive and fearless? Are you proactive or reactive? Like any other life lesson, with awareness, you can make a shift in how you think, how you respond and how you act.
I’m not saying it’s easy … I’m saying it’s worth the practice.
Stay tuned. Over the next few weeks, I will continue to share more lessons I learned After the Fall.