Have you ever noticed how one a olutely pertinent life le on sometimes eaks up on you SMACK IN THE MIDDLE of another context? I think many of us have have experienced this "Aha!" co ection.
For example, a couple of years ago, I was working hard at "ste ing out" into the world more boldly and becoming more visible, particularly in my busine . At the same time I was also taking voice le o . I remember one particular le on in which my voice teacher kept repeating to me, almost shouting, "You need to take up more ace!"
Well, it ha ened again this morning, in a full, multi-dime ional way! During my i ing cla , many areas of my current learning got reinforced. First, "what's i ing?" you might ask. i ing is a popular form of cardio-workout cla offered at many fitne centers. Participants and teacher ride a ecial stationary bike with se itive controls for adjusting resistance. Setting the resistance very high simulates the experience of riding a bike up a steep hill. Although the teacher leads the cla through a finely tuned workout of hills, intervals, rints, and so forth, each person can work at her own level.
This morning, I heard the i tructio and immedately realized they a lied on more than one level. My ante ae were up and wiggling. I was so delighted with it, I immediately thought of sharing it with you. Here's how it played out, in no particular order.
FEEL THE FOCUS IN THE ROOM
Early on, the teacher said, "Feel the focus in the room." The combination of energy and intention in the i ing room was palpable, powerful, i iring. When you surround yourself with like-minded people, the collective intention and focus su ort everyone. The whole is somehow much greater than the sum of the parts. The corollary is that the well-meaning "su ort" of people in your life who are not aligned with you can be "the kind of help we all could do without." Sometimes that "alignment" is hard to define; it i 't a straight-forward matter. Look deeper when you se e some distrust or doubt from a su ortive person. The words my be right, but the irit or intention may be off-kilter and not what you need at this time.
STRONG LEGS, STRONG MIND
During our first climb, she said, "Strong legs, strong mind." The learning here is to pay attention to both the muscle and the intention. We often focus just on the "legs" and forget the mind. We implement a strategy to increase our income but don't deal with our core ambivalence about money. We want to be more effective at work but our attention is scattered. Where you look is where you go: how well you focus your mind is as critical to your succe as the efficiency of your "pedal strokes." Keep your larger intention clear and co cious for yourself. The legs often take care of themselves.
MUSIC MAKES IT ALL MORE FUN
Having great music playing converts the work into play, tur the workout into dance, tra forms difficulty into exhiliration. What's music to you? Where in your life do you need to turn it on or turn it UP? (or turn it OFF?)
SMIDGEO COUNT
After we increased resistance several times on one of our "hills," the teacher said, "Turn your resistance up a smidgeon. And by the way, 'smidgeon' is in the dictionary. I looked it up." Next ste count, no matter how small they are. Whether you're expanding your workout zone by one heartbeat a minute, recovering from a "failure" more quickly than the last time, or driving to the airport for the first time - SMALL STE COUNT! In fact, they are THE PRIMO medium of personal growth and evolution. Let's face it - quantum tra formational lea are not often an option for most of us mortals. But at any moment in your life, next ste are always visible to you -- small ste you are capable of taking. Think of 'smidgeon' as a highly technical term in the realm of personal growth.
YIN AND YANG
Pedaling a bike is a circular motion, but we naturally emphasize the down stroke. In i ing, we're su osed to pedal as hard on the up stroke as on the down stroke. We need the teacher's countle reminders, "Equal strokes up and down!" Another way she hel is to pace us. She has us bring our heart rate up to our cardio range (the higher range of heart beats per minute that gives us a cardiovascular workout), keep it there for a while, and then bring it down to our "recovery range." She leads us through this cycle a few times during the 45-minute cla . This is a lied workout technology: these cycles are efficient ways to get the most out of an exercise program. So what's the le on here? Up is as important as down. Rest is as important as work. Sto ing is as important as going. Relaxed is as important as pumped. Down time is as important as up time. What are YOU discounting??
HAVE A TEACHER
It makes a difference to have a teacher! And having an excellent teacher is the best! What are you trying to do on your own that you'd do much better, faster, more enjoyably with a teacher? This needn't be seen as a weakne we don't need to be totally self-sufficient. Be aware of where you're struggling and keep an eye out for your teacher. You know, "when the student is ready, the teacher will a ear." (And what are YOU ready to teach?)
GO FOR IT
During a particularly hard part of the workout, the teacher said, repeatedly, "Go for it!" The music was thumping, my endorphi were pumping, and I was totally "going for it." Making an all-out effort in one part of your life su orts you to do so in any other part of your life. It builds your credibility with yourself as a person who can "do 100%." Try it. Taste it. Feel it. You'll like it. You'll even thirst for more o ortunities to go for it.
GIVE YOURSELF A HAND
At the end of the cla , when we had cooled down and stretched out, the teacher said, "Give yourselves a hand for a really good workout." We did, proudly. Acknowledging yourself is such a simple, inexpe ive, powerful way to keep yourself motivated! Yet I bet you don't do it nearly enough. You wouldn't dream of working your staff, your students, or your kids as hard as you work yourself without thanking them and acknowledging them for their hard work! And mean it when you do.
THANK YOU
ecial thanks to my excellent Tuesday morning i ing teacher, De y Fertig. Also to my other terrific i ing teachers: Andy Bergman, Nancy Je ey, and Joan Tufenkjian. Thanks to the Mt. Auburn Club in Watertown, MA for offering i ing cla es throughout the week.
COACHING TI :
1. Pick a " i ing le on" that eaks to you from the list above.
2. Name an arena in your life where you would like to a ly that principle.
3. Think of a way you could a ly that principle.
4. Do it this week.
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Postscript to the i ing Article from Last Month
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"NO TE ING, NO CLENCHING, NO SHOULDERS," the i ing teacher tells us as we pedal into a sweat on the stationary bikes. When you ride a i ing bike, it's the legs that do the work. But if you're not paying attention, you can add to your workload by clenching your teeth and te ing your shoulders so they're up to your ears! This secondary work is not only u ece ary - it's counterproductive. The teacher's reminder is helpful. All it takes is co ciou e and intention to relax the parts that don't need to be working.
You can a ly this principle in so many ways! When you are on a tight schedule, you can remember to breathe. When you are challenged by a work project, you can still take a relaxed lunch break. When you are stre ing about SOMEthing, you don't need to stre about EVERYthing.
Where can you a ly this in your life? All it takes is co ciou e and intention. No te ing, no clenching, no shoulders!
If you're co idering hiring a coach to help you with challenges like these, contact me for an initial co ultation at no charge.
Copyright 2003, Sharon Teitellbaum. All rights reserved.
Sharon Teitelbaum, http://www.stcoach.com, a Work-Life and Career Coach, works with high achieving women with young children, people at mid-career, and profe ionals seeking greater career satisfaction and work-life balance. She coaches by phone and in person in Boston. Her newsletter, Strategies For Change, offers practical ti for work-life succe .
Getting U tuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance, Sharon's first book, was published in 2005.
A motivational eaker, Sharon also also delivers keynotes and worksho on work-life i ues. Clients include Childre Ho ital Boston, SunLife Financial, Arnold Worldwide, and many parent and alumni grou . She's been featured in national publicatio including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Working Mother Magazine.
Married for 30 years, she is the mother of two amazing young women.
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- There Will Always Be Filing
- How to Set Intentions that Energize You
- Wind Change
- Do Your Self-Realizations Quickly Fade?
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