Tackling the ups and the downs

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Bo

My run today pretty much mirrored the week I had last week. Lots of highs and lows, ups and downs. The difference is that when I run, I clearly have a strategy on how to deal with the up hills and down hills and I know how to listen to my body. I don’t do the same when it comes to work.

I can home 3 out of 5 evenings declaring that I had ‘just had the day outta hell’. I was exhausted. It felt as if all my energy had been drained from my body. It’s not so much work pressures but struggling to cope with office politics that’s getting the better of me. It’s mentally draining.

But then there were moments in my week when things at work were great. Moments when I felt valued, encouraged and hearing news which really lifted my spirits.

I need to approach the highs and lows as I do when I run. Tackling those up hills, my strategy is to slow down to a fast walk, to take in my surroundings and try forgetting about the burn in my legs. The hills do eventually come to an end.

When I get to the flat sections and down hills, I speed up and just enjoy the wind in my hair as I let go and savor the feeling. The run become easier and I push myself.

I realize that every week will have those moments of stress and happiness. Of joy and pain, the ups and downs. Some days I need to slow down, reflect on what’s causing my stress and ‘ride the storm’. And on the good days, I need to just sit back and enjoy!

Great run today… Looking forward to a great week!

You are more beautiful than you think. (Sometimes)

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Bo

Have you seen the new Dove campaign? If not, in a nutshell, Dove posted a three-minute ad on YouTube that teaches a vital lesson about how we view ourselves compared to how others see us. The tagline of the campaign is: “You are more beautiful than you think.”

It made me giggle. Don’t get me wrong, I totally ‘get’ the campaign. It moved me and like others, I shared the clip on various social media platforms. But it did remind me of an old video clip of myself taken 5 years ago. The clip was an eye-opener for me and reminded me that how I view myself is not always how others see me.

You see, I entered the Two Oceans 8km fun run in 2008. A close friend managed to take a video clip of me running to the finish line. When I watch this video, I can die of embarrassment!

It’s weird to see just how odd my running style was (and is still today). It’s a shocker! As a newbie runner, I had no proper running kit so I ran in my gym pants. I’m slouched forward, terrible running posture. My running pace looks like I’m taking a Sunday stroll through the park but yet 5 years later, I still run this slowly. I would never have realized this unless I had seen that clip. In my mind, I thought I looked like any other professional runner.

It’s so good to look back and see just how far I’ve come…

The message of the Dove campaign has one thing in common with running though. It’s how I love the look of my face after a run. No make-up. Red cheeks. Flushed and sweaty. Big smile on my face. Medal around my neck. I practically glow!

It’s the one time when I don’t wear make-up that I truly do believe I look more beautiful than I think.

(If you receive my blog via email and the video doesn’t play, please view this post via the web. Thanks!)

Slack runner = slack blogger

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Bo

You know that feeling when, in the back of your mind, something gnaws at you, but you ignore it. You constantly feel guilty and keep making promises to yourself that you inevitably land up breaking? Well, that’s been me and my blogging (as well as my running) lately.

The truth is I’ve been neglecting my blog. It’s not that I’ve lost my mojo or don’t have anything to say. I’ve got tons of drafts written down (in my head). But they don’t feel ‘right’. They are lacking that ‘something’.

It’s been the same with my running. The weather has slowly started to change into chilly Autumn mornings and the sun has been setting earlier and earlier each evening. My motivation to get out there and run has been lacking as I find every excuse to work late or spend Sunday mornings in bed.

It was only after coming back from a run this morning with my good running friend Terence, that I realized something. The more I run, the more I think of things to write about. When my running is at its peak, I have a gazillion blog posts that I want to write. But when I slack off, so too does my writing.

When I’m out on the road, be it walking or running, I have the chance to properly process my thoughts. I have time on my hands to think of what’s been going on in my life and to explore my feelings for situations. It then becomes so much easier to write things down and in some weird way, make sense of it all. It’s as if I have time to ‘talk to myself’.

~~Offloading~~ Catching up with Terence on the run this morning, I realized that there’s quite a bit going on in my life. Some big issues, some smaller ones. Nothing serious or anything. Just stuff I haven’t yet thought about.

Okay, I need to run more. But more importantly, I need to blog!

(Image: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/trail)

Exactly how candid are your conversations?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Bo

In a world that is constantly changing, under strain and with people working in abnormally stressful environments, you often find that corporates send their teams to workshops in order to master EQ, communications and other skills. With so many personal development areas to focus on, the one area we often ignore is how to have candid conversations with others.

Group work to discuss issues

So I found myself sitting in one of ‘those’ workshops today and while we engaged in insightful conversation and at times, quite emotional sharing, it was only when I got home and read some of my notes that I realised just how powerful some of the statements I had written down were. You don’t need to be in my workshop to use these statements and make them relevant in your life:

Self-awareness enables us to respond vs. react.
Inquiring brings out the other person’s view.
Waiting to talk is not listening.
People change and forget to tell one another (and even themselves).
Reality clashes with plans.
People are uncomfortable with real.
I’m going to show up as ‘myself’. Show people who I am.
Be here! Right now, in this moment.
Know who I am and what I am about in all my conversations.
Keep reminding yourself daily of what outcome you want in life.
No one is able to keep up with the level of change – protect your immune systems. You only have one.
Why is it so easy to disappoint yourself, but not other people?
Perceptions = Reality.
In every conversation, there’s my story, your story and our story.

The final message of the day was finding that balance in life/work (keeping up with those friggin walkers!). It could be gym, a run after work, walking the dogs, a good meal or even a favourite TV show. But give back, both to your body and your mind. Remember to reward yourself. You deserve it!

I encourage you to read my list again and pick out that one relevant statement that speaks to you and make that change!