An Unanticipated Plot TWIST! Adapt! – Edit to add tiktok update!

Argh, can’t control anything but my reaction between stimulus and response

Adapt! An unanticipated plot twist. So, on Thursday this hand just hurt. This hand has carried me through and has carried many things. Today it hurts to even bend. The 2-3 days after Thursday, I have had debilitating back pain. I was able to get in for immediate blood work and advice from practicing physicians. Argh. Frustrated. Forced rest during ironman training within 30 days of the event. Never what any of us want. But here I am. Adapt!

Now what I do not know is what can or should I do. I have had one moderate one since then. Initial blood work appears to point to being in a hypo thyroid state.

@zentriathlete Update fom BST – 6 mile rubn, took a moment to checkin. #zentriathlete #roadtoimcalifornia #grateful #bepresent #trilife #myhealthmatters @macylee36 ♬ original sound – zentriathlete

Life balance. Then work. Mindset update

Well, work is something I do, not something I am. What I am is a human, father, dad and I work to provide for those things. This is a wonderful example of focusing on realities and the routines of life outside of work.

There is a lot of talk about routines morning as folks return to work after the disruptions of Covid.

I don’t have routines, I tend to try and establish meaningful moments, and while they are not as structured as Ryan Holiday shares here, I have had many mornings between my bed and my office walk go this way. Yesterday I rewatched a meeting where our executive People Team delivered a message that seemed to not be clear upon its first delivery. Maybe note many, but there was a large enough economy of scale to determine that messaging was off. This follow up meeting was an interesting watch. I am grateful that we are not on a march back to physical office space, nor required to return to tedious and often mis-used travel requirements.

I further observed a few things where our corporate culture has lots to improve upon and themes included – ego, generation-alism, assumption, trying to convince instead of gathering context, misogony and a few other opportunities for improvement. I recall one experience where I was asked a direct question from someone who informed me of my worth to him and his institution directly. I shared with him my unfiltered and direct observations. He disagreed. I recommended he observe, pay close attention the the examples I provided and I would return in a few weeks. He approached me within the hour I first physically returned apologizing and asking how to be a change agent. In my career, it hasn’t be the norm that as a paid opinion, that they are always well received and a leader wants to move immediately. Most want to retreat to managing people, shackling them in often redundant requirements that produce a manager – contributor/performer hierarchy. What I am trying to determine is how to move beyond this.

I am no expert in the power dynamics of employer and employee relations, but I have been a direct observer that asking for context first, asking clarifying questions for deeper context has been more valuable than me trying to immediately convince and solve a problem that isn’t my direct responsibility as a paid for consultant.

This is more mindset like and really a post about how life, triathlon and work intersect. The snippet of the podcast below is excellent. Two major phrases resonated with me and prompt the share:

“self-abandoning and co-dependent” –
don’t convince, provide context…

Ryan Holiday and his guest explore boundaries and how the two most powerful letters combined in the English speaking vernacular, may open up opportunities for later yeses. My work has really been trying to emphasize a how to say no without saying no, and I morally can’t do it. This episode explores in brief many of the contextual reasons why I cannot and will not dilute the power of “NO”!

I’ve been using techniques I have gathered from this podcast here:

I guess what I find the most interesting as I try to navigate work is how much more I am aware and trying to observe more, review context with a broader lens so I can more appropriately share the wisdom I have acquired. Essentially, I am trying to share my thought leadership as well as providing task oriented solutions as a contributor and performer. I am fatigued in our paradigm and our levels of service to often be a performer while managers trample over my thoughts. I learned long ago to provide information to which they can’t synthesize without me, but I have to be careful how i peddle that technique.

Next steps

So while I wait for more definitive results and approach this stage of life – I have a few questions:

Should I do the Ironman on October 23
- Initial answer – I don’t know I continue training tonight
What does the bloodwork indicate
- Trusting initial lessons learned from Liz (my spouse) and I
- Awaiting medical opinion and recommendations
- Hurry up and wait

Tonight I am about to go for a run, and then hopefully take the kiddos to a glow light activity at JumpZone, our local Trampoline Park. Life sure is full. It is at times simple, and complexity comes due to many factors beyond my or Liz’s control. We only know how to confront and go through the difficulties. We try to manage, control and avoid, but by going through them we grow. Sure, I find myself and her collectively doing the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot what have we done. Almost always the sun rises after the proverbial storm. Other times, we pick up the best we know how, and try to improve our situations with tact and poise.